Future Guardian
by Noobpills
Summary: A kid goes back in time in hopes of saving the future. His arrival spawns a series of events that reveal a evil that threatens both past and present. How will the Chosen Children react? My first attempt at a fanfic.
1. Prologue

_Hello and welcome to my first ever fanfic! As I am new, all I really ask of my readers (if I get any that is) is to review and tell me what you think about the story.  
_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon._

* * *

Prologue -

20+ years into the Future

A lone figure stood on a cliff overlooking a valley. The first rays of sunlight had just begun to touch the valley. The golden rays swept through the valley, revealing a battle-scarred city. Humans and Digimon can be seen running around, busy with their morning duties. A tense atmosphere hung above the city, as if they were expecting disaster at any moment.

The figure closed his eyes as the rays hit him. He opened his azure eyes and surveyed the city below, as his brunette hair fluttered with the wind. 'Five years' he thought, 'five years since everything changed.'

He thought back to the point where life changed for the worse. Five years ago, people became vanishing one after the other. It seemed random at first, but it became a huge issue after the original crest holders disappeared as well. Immediately after that incident, Digimon loyal to dark forces had suddenly emerged, quickly taking over the Digital World and its guardians. The presence of the Digital World was just being made known to the public then, but with the attempted invasion by the dark forces caused humans and their respective digital partners to take up arms. Fierce fighting between Digimon ravaged across human cities, causing widespread destruction. The defending forces managed to push back the invaders after over a year of fierce fighting. They quickly built forts defending the portals linking the Digital World to the Real World, preventing further advancement from the enemy.

It then became a stalemate. The forces of darkness were unable to pierce the forts. Without the original Chosen Children, the defending forces were too weak to go on the offensive. However, the invading forces grew stronger and more frequent as time passed.

"Phoenix!"

The shout jolted the figure from his train of thought. He looked up and saw Iori running towards him.

"There you are! It is time. Gennai and the others are expecting you," Iori continued after he reached the cliff edge.

"I guess I should not keep them waiting then," Phoenix replied. He looked at the valley one last time before turning and followed Iori to Gennai's lodgings.

* * *

"I can't believe we are going ahead with Gennai's plan!" Miyako screamed at her husband Ken. Daisuke winced in pain as her voice echoed across the room.

Ken looked up from the machine he was working on with a sigh. "Miyako, we all agreed to go with the plan when Gennai first proposed it to us," he replied, looking at his wife.

"But we did not agree to send a twelve year old!" she retorted.

Her husband kept silent at the last statement. It was clear that even he did not fully approve of the plan. Daisuke spoke up, "Miyako, we were saving the world and having adventures at that age too."

"Yes! But we did it in a group. He will be going alone!" Miyako shouted at him. Daisuke took a few steps back to prevent his eardrums from bleeding.

"But we only have enough energy to send one person back through time," Gennai explained. He stopped working and looked at Miyako, "Given his parentage and the fact that he has mastered the D-Ultimate in a short span of two years, makes him the most logical choice."

Just as Gennai finished, Phoenix and Iori entered the room. 'Speak of the devil…' Davis thought to himself. Phoenix's Digimon partner Lupusmon, who had been waiting outside the room, followed beside him. Lupusmon looked like a small black wolf, minus the deadly fangs.

"Are you ready?" Gennai asked both Phoenix and Lupusmon. The Digimon replied with a quick nod. He always was a Digimon of few words.

"Almost. I just need to say my last goodbyes." Phoenix replied with a sad smile. He turned to faced the other four. He gave each of them a hug. "I'll miss you all."

"Now remem-, "Gennai started, but could not finish as the main door to the room slammed open. A blond girl stood at the door panting. She looked as she had just run a marathon, with one hand resting on the door and another on her knee. She wore a simple shirt and shorts, with her hair barely reaching past her shoulders. The most prominent feature she had was the goggles she wore on her head.

"Rachel! What are you doing here?" Daisuke shouted at his daughter. One can hardly believe that Daisuke, of all people, would end up with a girl even before he was married. In truth, Rachel was an orphan, one of the many victims in the current conflict. Four years ago, Daisuke found her while he was on a mission repelling Digimon that had attacked a small urban town. Taking pity on Rachel, he decided to adopt her.

The girl dashed across the room, ignoring her father as she hugged Phoenix in a tight grip. She buried her face in Phoenix's chest. "Did you expect to leave without saying goodbye?" Rachel said, her voice slightly muffled by Phoenix's shirt. Even with the volume of her voice, Phoenix could pick up the tone of sadness behind it. Rachel was always one to hide her sadness from others, but she could never hide it from Phoenix.

Phoenix hugged her back, "No, especially if the person is the best friend in the whole world." Rachel raised her head after hearing those words. She looked at Phoenix, the only person who can make her feel better no matter the situation. She rested her head back on his chest, savoring the warmth of his hug. She knew it might be the last chance she had of enjoying this feeling.

Gennai cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention. Phoenix pulled himself away from Rachel and focused on Gennai. "Now if I may continue," said Gennai as he walked over to the machine's control panel, "This machine will send you back in time to the point of the energy source. You know what you have to do once you arrive?" Gennai typed on the control panel. Phoenix nodded. Gennai had spent the last week drilling it into his head till the boy believed that he will never forget it forever.

"Alright, just step unto the platform," Gennai instructed. Lupusmon quickly hopped onto the platform. Phoenix picked the bag containing his supplies and walked slowly. Went he got to the platform, he turned to Rachel.

"I can't promise you that I'll come back," said Phoenix, "But I promise that I will never ever forget you." He stepped onto the platform and gave Gennai a thumbs up to signal that he was ready.

Gennai flicked the activation switch. The machine hummed to life as it slowly began to draw energy. The platform began to flash, with each one being brighter and faster. A dazzling burst of light surged out from the machine, causing everyone in the room to shield their eyes. When everyone recovered from being momentary blinded, they looked at the machine. The machine was spewing out smoke and sparks. Phoenix was no longer on the platform.

* * *

_A short chapter to kick things off. I am currently proof-reading the later chapters and will try to upload them asap._

_Of course, please review!  
_


	2. Disrupted Peace

_Disclaimer_ _- I do not own Digimon._

Chapter 1 - Disrupted Peace

Koushiro sat in his room typing away at his laptop. He was preparing the gateway to the Digital World. The Chosen Children were planning a weekend picnic to celebrate the start of the summer break. Tentomon sat at his usual perch at the window enjoying the outside scenery. He had been staying with Koushiro's family for the past four years since BelialVamdemon's defeat. Life has been pretty quiet for the Chosen Children since then, save for Diablomon's attack. Tentomon mused at the idea of still calling them children. Based on his knowledge of humans, he knew that they had gone past the age that was classified as "children" by society. His train of thought was cut short by the opening of the door. A girl steeped into the room, carrying a tray in her hands. She had long and straight black hair which reached half way down her back. She wore a simple blue T-shirt and jeans. The tray she carried was crammed with different kinds of snacks and drinks.

"Did you empty out my entire kitchen?" Koushiro asked the girl, his eyes still glued to the laptop's monitor.

"Are you so stingy that you can't feed your girlfriend?" the girl retorted. She sat the tray down on the table and turned the chair her boyfriend was sitting on, forcing him to look at her smiling face instead of the monitor.

Koushiro looked at his girlfriend, Liz. He gave her a peck on the cheek, causing her to giggle. Sora had introduced Liz to Koushiro a year ago, and the two clicked instantly. Liz had a thirst for information that almost rivaled that of Koushiro. When she first met Tentomon, Liz had almost attempted to dissect him to determine what he was made of. It took an hour of convincing before she finally gave up. It didn't stop her from bombarding Koushiro with questions about the Digital World though.

"Thanks for agreeing to watch the Digital Gate for us," said Koushiro as he turn backed to his laptop.

"No problem," Liz replied. She wrapped her arms around Koushiro's neck. "Besides, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use your computers," she teased him.

Koushiro grinned. He had expanded beyond his original pineapple logo laptop. His room now contained two separate desktop that he had built himself. "Just don't do anything funny on them," he warned her. He thought back to the time when he let Taichi and Daisuke use of his desktop. The two of them had downloaded so many viruses that it took Koushiro a week to get them back to working order. Worse of all he had lost all his research data.

The doorbell rang at that moment. Liz went to get the door. The gang had chosen to gather at Koushiro's home as his parents were away on a trip that weekend. Iori, being the punctual person he was, was the first to arrive. Over the past four years, Iori had a growth spurt. He now stood as tall as the others. He was still as polite and courteous as ever. Armadimon followed behind him still sparking his usual manner of speech.

Jou and Mimi arrived next, with their Digimon partners in tow. The two had begun dating two years ago, after the Tachikawa family moved back from New York. To say that everyone was surprised when they broke the news was an understatement. The gang had shouted so loud that they could be heard through the entire building.

Next to arrive was Ken and Miyako, with Yamato and Sora following close behind. Takeru and the Yagami siblings, Hikari and Taichi, entered the apartment ten minutes later. As usual Daisuke was late. He did not arrive until thirty minutes after the assigned meeting time, earning glares from some of the gang.

"Took you long enough," said Taichi as the gang started moving to Koushiro's room where the gate was waiting. As usual Miyako did the honors of activating the gate.

"Digital Gate open! Chosen Children let's roll!"

The monitor flared as the gate activated. The group of teens raised their Digivices and entered the gate with their Digimon. Koushiro was the last to enter. He gave Liz a quick goodbye kiss before he entered the gate with Tentomon.

After everyone had left, Liz sat in front of the desktop computer. "Let's see what he has on his computer," she muttered to herself.

* * *

The computer monitor flashed a brilliant blue light as it deposited the Chosen Children and their partners. As usual, everyone landed in a tangled ball of bodies and limbs. After managing to untangle themselves, as well as giving Daisuke enough time to recover from being crushed, the group headed to their destination.

The spot they had picked was a simple grass field. The weather was sunny and warm, perfect for a picnic. Everyone started unpacking the food they had brought and with twenty-four individuals helping, the preparations were completed quickly. Seeing no point in delaying their feast, the group of youths quickly dug in to the food. Between Taichi and Daisuke, the youths had no problem finishing up all the food they had brought.

After finishing all of the food, the gang broke off into smaller groups. Miyako, Sora and Mimi sat with their boyfriends and begin discussing their relationships. Tachi and Daisuke were getting into another argument with each other. Koushiro and Iori stood nearby, wondering whether they should intervene before the argument got nasty. The Digimon had all gone to re-familiarize themselves with the Digital World, having stayed in the Real World for months. Takeru had Hikari had drifted out of earshot of the others and were reminiscing their past adventures.

Takeru and his best friend sat in a part of the field that was shaded from the sun by clouds. The two teens just sat there, both not saying a word and just enjoying each other's presence. It was one of the few things that Takeru liked about Hikari. He never ever felt awkward with her. Having know her from the age of eight, they never hide anything from each other. Takeru turned to look at the brunette girl. Hikari had let her hair grow past her shoulders. She still wore the same pink hair clip, her favorite color. Her outfit, consisting of a simple pink T-shirt and brown shorts, brought out her body's shapely figure. Takeru could see why she was one of the most popular girls in school. She always had many guys attempting to ask her out for dates, but she had refused every single one so far. To Takeru, the most attractive part of Hikari was her eyes. The almond eyes always seemed to be shining to him. He just wanted to hold Hikari in his arms and let himself get lost in her eyes. He felt the urge to ki-.

Takeru gave himself a mental slap. She was his best friend. Best Friend! He cannot think about her like that. Besides, there was no way she would every have such feelings for him. She had plenty of guys fawning over her like Daisuke used to. Surprisingly, Daisuke had stopped chasing Hikari after he hit the age of fifthteen. It was as if Daisuke had finally decided to make a mature decision in his life.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Takeru heard someone ask. Hikari was looking at him. Her head was tilted sideways, with a puzzled look on her face.

"Huh?" he replied, snapping his current train of thought.

"You were staring at me for a while now. What are you thinking about?" asked Hikart, her face still carrying the puzzled look.

"Uh...Uh...I...I was thinking about why you keep rejecting the guys who ask you out?" stammered Takeru. He turned away quickly to prevent Hikari from seeing him blushing.

The girl lied back on the grass and stared at the clouds floating past. "I don't like the way they talked to me," she answered, "I feel uncomfortable talking to them, unlike you." She raised her arm and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.

For some reason, Takeru's heart skipped a beat after hearing Hikari's reply. 'Get a grip Takeru! She is your best friend! You can't fall for her!'

But no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop thinking about what Hikari had said.

* * *

Hikari watched as Takeru laid back on the grass. Her blond friend had decided to follow her actions and they soon found themselves looking at clouds and trying to describe their shapes. They used to do the same thing way back when they were eight. She turned to look at Takeru. He had really changed over the years. He now stood half a head taller than Hikari. The teen was wearing a shirt that was similar to the one Yamato had worn during their first adventure in the Digital World. The shirt hugged his body, highlighting the muscled chest he had earned through years of playing basketball. He had stopped wearing his trademark fisherman hat after it became too small. Hikari felt the urge to bury her face in his chest. She wanted to get lost in his azure eyes and ki-.

Hikari quickly shook that thought out of her head. He was Takeru, her best friend. She cannot be thinking about him that way. There was also no way Takeru would have feeling for her. He had his own personal female fan-club, being the captain of the basketball team. With so many girls around him, Hikari felt that there was no way he would ever have feelings for her. Or does he? She remembered the multiple times Takeru had protected her from danger. From evil Digimon like Piemon to rescuing her from the Dark Ocean, Takeru has always been there for her when she was feeling sad or afraid.

Before her mind could wonder further, a large explosion rocked her surroundings.

Takeru and Hikari quickly stood up after hearing the noise. In the distance, they saw a steady pillar of smoke rising. "That's not good," said Takeru as his eyebrows frowned with worry.

"You don't say," Hikari rolled her eyes.

Takeru gave her a quick glare. "If memory serves, the smoke is coming from the area near the Village of Beginnings," he explained. Hikari formed her mouth into an O.

"We should go back to the others," said Takeru. He grabbed Hikari's hands and began running back to their picnic spot. The girl could not help feeling a tingling sensation when he held her hand. She quickly shook the thought out of her and focus on keeping up with Takeru's speed.

Upon arriving at their picnic spot, they noticed that the Digimon were already there. The other teens were discussing the explosion they had just witnessed. Taichi was looking at the pillar of smoke with his spyglass. He turned to Koushiro.

"Did you get the location of the blast?" he asked the boy genius.

Koushiro was looking at his D-terminal, which was displaying a map of the surrounding area. "If my calculations are correct, the source should be at the Village of Beginnings," he answered.

"That gives us all the more reason to check it out." said Taichi. He looked at the rest of the group. "Any objections?" he asked. The others remained silent, causing the Chosen Child of Courage to lead the dash towards the Village of Beginnings.

* * *

_A/N: I am using the Japanese names for the Digimon. (I.E BelialVamdemon instead of MaloMyotismon)_


	3. Arrival and Confrontations

_Disclaimer - I do not own Digimon._

Chapter 2 - Arrival and Confrontations

Phoenix landed on his face, which he was definitely not what he was expecting. He assumed he would arrive at his destination in the same position, which was to say his feet. Picking himself up from the ground, he surveyed his surroundings. Lupusmon had landed beside him, somehow on his paws. Thick tress surrounded him, indicating he had landed in a forest. Phoenix knew his objective, but first he had to determine that he had arrived at his target destination. Gennai had given instructions on how to contact his past self; it was the easiest way to determine his bearings.

Phoenix put on the shades and looked down Lupusmon."You ready?" he asked his Digimon partner.

"Yep," Lupusmon replied in his usual manner. The pair started walking off in silence. The silence did not last however, as a loud explosion rocked through the forest.

Phoenix turned to Lupusmon. The pair shared a look, before dashing to the source of the explosion, guided by the rising smoke pillar.

* * *

The duo burst out of the tree line and into a grass field. In front of them stood various structures that looked like they were made using large kid building blocks. If there was ever a place that was solely designed by a toddler, this would be it. A pillar of smoke was rising from one of the burning structures. Phoenix squinted. He noticed multiple figures flying off into the distance, but with the sun's glare, he was unsure.

"We should check out the source of the explosion," Lupusmon suggested. Phoenix nodded his head, and the pair started jogging towards the pillar of smoke. The boy noticed a wooden sign planted near the toy blocks as they got nearer. It had the words – "Village of Beginnings" painted in black on it.

"Village of Beginnings" he muttered. A thought crossed his mind. "Isn't that the place were all Digimon are born?"

Lupusmon replied with a nod as he led the way into the village. The explosion had caused a mess inside. Multiple baby cots were scattered around the field. Phoenix noticed that not a single baby Digimon was in sight. He inspected the derbies in the field while Lupusmon searched with his acute smell and hearing. It did not take long for the wolf Digimon to pick up a trail.

"I hear something," he reported to Phoenix, before running further into the village. Phoenix followed after him. As he turned the corner of a path, Lupusmon confronting what looked like a flying bat. Several baby Digimon were huddling in the comer with fear.

Phoenix raised his arm and activated the device attached to his left wrist. The D-Ultimate was probably the most advanced piece of technology Gennai had ever developed. Gennai had designed it such that its functionality was near limitless. It had the ability to scan and develop new functions. This had allowed it to gain the abilities of the original Digivice and the D-3. The main ability of the D-Ultimate was that it allowed the storage of a defeated Digimon data. Gennai had wanted it to use as a storage location for evil Digimon, essentially preventing them from being reborn. Gennai did not just want any ordinary person to use such a powerful device. Apparently he thought Phoenix the perfect candidate, giving him the device along with Lupusmon's digiegg when he as eight. Phoenix always wondered why he was chosen, aside from his parentage, he did not feel really special.

He quickly found the Digimon entry he was looking for. "PicoDevimon, Child level, Small Devil Digimon," he read.

"A Chosen Child!" PicoDevimon exclaimed, "If I capture you the Master will surely be pleased!"

"In your dreams, you insane blue bat!" Lupusmon retorted. He quickly dashed towards PicoDevimon.

"Pico Darts!"

A wave of syringes flew towards Lupusmon, but the wolf Digimon nimbly dodged the attack. PicoDevimon kept sending wave of syringes, but proved too slow for his opponent. Lupusmon quickly reached within striking distance of PicoDevimon. He leap into the air, punching PicoDevimon with his paw. The blow knocked PicoDevimon out of the air. He landed on the ground with a loud thud. Lupusmon wasted no time and quickly pounced on PicoDevimon, pinning him to the ground.

"Now start talking!" the wolf Digimon growled, "Who is this Master?"

"I'll talk! Just don't kill me!" PicoDevimon pleaded. "No one know his true identity. But Devimon asked me to come to the Village of Beginnings to help him capture some baby Digimon. He works for the Master," he said, "I don't know what they want to do with the baby Digimon."

Phoenix stared at PicoDevimon. If what he said was true, this so called Master could be the answer to all the problems back in the future. He remembered Devimon was the first major villan that his predecessors had fought. If Devimon had a hand in the attack, the situation was definitely going to get worse.

"Please can you let me go?" PicoDevimon asked while trying to struggle out of Lupusmon. The furry Digimon looked at his partner for instructions. Phoenix shook his head slightly. Lupusmon turned down to his captive.

"No." He quickly bit down on PicoDevimon, sinking his sharp teeth into his body. The bat Digimon screamed as he dissipated into data. Phoenix activated the D-Ultimate that was attached to his wrist. He watched as PicoDevimon's data was sucked into the device. He could not risk the chance of letting him go. Devimon might find out that someone out there was aware of his plans. Secretly, he wanted to test the functions his Digivice as well.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!?"

* * *

The run to the Village of Beginnings had taken longer than they thought. By the time they had arrived there, Miyako and Mimi were pretty much out exhausted. Taichi led the group through the main entrance of the village. As they passed through the wooden arch, they heard a rustle in the nearby bushes. Everybody tensed, expecting an enemy to attack them. The bushes parted, revealing the village guardian, Elecmon. His body was covered with bruises, and he was clearly exhausted. Jou quickly rushed to help the injured Digimon.

"What happened here?" Daisuke asked Elecmon.

"Black Figure…Attacked the village…" Elecmon muttered, before fainting in Jou's arms.

"Joe, Mimi, Miyako and Ken stay here and take care of Elecmon," Taichi quickly ordered, "The rest of us will head into the village and deal with the attacker."

The group split up per Taichi's orders. Inside the Village of Beginnings, they split further into smaller groups to cover more ground. Daisuke led Taichi and Yamato towards a corner leading deeper into the village. As the trio neared the corner, they heard voices.

"Please can you let me go?"

"No."

Daisuke cleared the corner just then, and was shocked at the scene before him. A black figure stood ahead. A black wolf Digimon was in front of the figure, biting down on another Digimon. The victim screamed in pain as his body dissipated into bits of data.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!?" he shouted at the figure, just as Taichi and Yamato caught up to him.

The black figure turned around at his voice. He was a much younger boy with brown hair. The mysterious kid seemed shocked to see the trio. The wolf Digimon looked at V-mon, as if expecting him to make a move.

"Is he the person who attacked the village?" Yamato asked.

"Yes. I just saw him kill a Digimon in cold blood," Daisuke replied, his fist shaking with fury.

"What! You monster!" Taichi shouted. He took out his digivice. "Agumon!" he called out to his partner. Agumon ran forword, as Taichi's digivice activated. Yamato and Daisuke followed Taichi, taking out their digivices as well. Gabumon and V-mon ran forward as they digivoled.

"Agumon digivole…Greymon!"

"Gabumon digivole…Garurumon!"

"V-mon digivole…XV-mon!"

The three adult Digimon step forward, ready for battle. "Lupusmon!" the mysterious boy called out. The wolf Digimon ran forward to protect him.

"Give up now!" Daisuke warned the boy, "There is no way you can beat us."

The boy ignored him and instead reached for the device attached to his arm. He pressed a series of buttons and a flash of light emitted from the device. Lupusmon's fur started to become prickly just like a porcupine. The other Digimon got surprised at the sudden transformation and decided to attack.

"Mega Flame!"

"Fox Fire!"

"X-Laser!"

The projectile attacks rushed towards the still transforming Lupusmon. A cloud of smoke formed as the attacks hit their target. The Adult Digimon and their partners stared at the smoke cloud, wondering whether their attack had hit. The smoke cleared, and Lupusmon was nowhere in sight. The Chosen Children gave a cheer.

"Wolf Darts!"

The teenagers turned their heads at the direction of the voice. They watched as multiple needle-like pins sank into their Digimon. Lupusmon was perched on a nearby toy block. His fur was beginning to return to its usual state. The Digimon winced in pain as the attack sapped their strength, forcing them to revert to their usual forms. Seizing the opportunity, the mysterious boy quickly dashed away with Lupusmon.

Daisuke, Yamato and Taichi quickly ran to their partners. As they were checking their Digimon for any major injuries, Taichi wondered out loud.

"Who was that?"

* * *

Phoenix ran through the forest. Lupusmon effortless kept beside him. Running came naturally to wolves after all. The encounter in the Village of Beginnings had totally caught Phoenix by surprise. He was glad that he had stored PicoDevimon's data. It had allowed Lupusmon to use his own variation of Pico Darts to buy them enough time to escape.

Phoenix decided that he had wasted enough time. He brought up the map Gennai had given to him on his D-Ultimate. It was time to get some work done.


	4. Meet and Greet

_Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon_

* * *

Chapter 3 - Meet and Greet

Daisuke paced back and forth. His mind was wondering about the mysterious boy they had met. Multiple questions were flowing through his mind. Agumon, Gabumon and V-mon were recovering in a corner from their encounter with Lupusmon. The other Chosen Children were listening as Taichi and Yamato told them about the recent encounter.

"So you think he was behind the attacks?" Sora asked the two boys.

"At first, but the Baby Digimon told us that others were behind the attack," Yamoto replied, "Apparently he had rescued them from PicoDevimon."

"But the Digimon did not see who the real attackers were," Taichi continued.

"I say we should go see Gennai. Maybe he has information about the attack." Koushiro suggested. His D-terminal beeped, indicating a new email. Reading the message, Koushiro could not help but raise his eyes in surprise.

"Speak of the devil," he muttered. He turned to the others. "Gennai asked to meet up with us on File Island. Apparently it has something to do with the attack on the Village of Beginnings."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go see the old man!" Daisuke shouted.

The Chosen Children and their Digimon made their way to the meeting point that Gennai had given them. They made small talk along the way, but no one was very interested in having a proper conversation. After all, their plans had been cut short and they were running around trying to protect the Digital World yet again. They sometimes wish that the evil Digimon chose better timings with their attacks.

The place Gennai had chosen was a wooden hut in the middle of a forest. It was not as grand as Gennai's living quarters back at Server, but it was not too shabby either. Taichi led the others as he marched up to the front door. He raised his hand to knock the door, but he ended up hitting Gennai face instead.

"OW!" Gennai shouted, "Is this how you greet old friends?" He rubbed his nose as he opened the door further. "Come in. We've been expecting you."

"We?" Takeru asked curiously as Gennai led them into the guest room. Inside, a boy sat at a table in the center of the room. A wolf-like creature sat beside him.

"You!" Daisuke growled when he laid eyes on the sitting figure.

* * *

Phoenix looked at the device lying on the ground. Following the directions Gennai had given him, he and Lupusmon had spent the last half an hour digging. They finally unearthed the metallic looking object that he was staring at now. He wondered how he was going to activate the device. He was never ever good at operating machinery.

The device hummed to life at his feet. A hologram of Gennai appeared before him. The hologram figure eyed Phoenix, as if find the reason for his presence.

"I've been expecting you to contact me. Meet me at the hut located due south from here." Gennai said. The hologram shut itself down after his words. Phoenix and Lupusmon glanced at each other before heading south.

The pair found the hut easily enough. They entered the wooden building. Inside, Phoenix found Gennai sitting at the table, sipping a cup of tea. The old man looked up at him.

"Come have a cup of tea," he greeted. Phoenix sat across him at the table but didn't touch the cup Gennai offered. The boy was not a big fan of tea.

"Now care to explain what a person another time is doing here?" Gennai asked.

Phoenix stared at him with wide eyes. "How did you know?" he stammered with a weak voice.

"I detected your entrance into this time. A time portal has certain energy signatures. Now care to tell me what you are doing here?"

Phoenix signed, this was going to take a while.

* * *

The teenagers looked at the boy sitting at the table. Taichi noticed that the boy was also staring at the group that had just entered the hut. The boy was studying every one of them but his eyes rested mainly on Takeru and Hikari, something that did not rest well with Taichi.

"This is Phoenix and that is his partner Lupusmon," Gennai introduced, "they are here to help you deal with the culprit of the attack on the Village of Beginnings."

"Are you sure we can trust him Gennai?" Hikari questioned. "He did attack the others you know."

"Yes. Besides, you will definitely need his help. The enemy you are up against is not to be taken lightly."

Gennai started to explain what Phoenix had told him earlier. He left out the fact that Phoenix did not come from this time. It was not the right time to reveal that piece of information yet.

"Phoenix managed to get some information out from PicoDevimon," Gennai explained, "Devimon is kidnapping Digimon as part of some big scheme." Several faces became dark at the mentioning of the evil Digimon.

"How can you be sure it is him?" Takeru asked. His voice was dark. Everyone knew he hated Devimon, ever since their first encounter with him. Angemon had sacrificed himself to defeat Devimon, leaving a huge emotional scar on Takeru.

"I've detected huge energy readings of Infinity Mountain for some time. I had no proof it was the work of evil forces," Gennai said, "but Phoenix's information confirmed my doubts."

"Whatever it is Devimon is planning to do, we must stop him quickly," Gennai continued, "the energy levels have been steadily rising since the attack on the village."

"So we should just head up the mountain and kick his ass!" Daisuke proclaimed with his usual enthusiasm.

"WAIT!"

Everyone looked at the person who shouted. Jou became a little embarrassed when he realized that everyone's attention was on him, but he quickly regained his composure.

"We can't just rush up the mountain like that! We need to plan, prepare and get supplies."

Koushiro looked up from his D-terminal. He had spent the past few minutes on the device.

"I don't think we have that much time. The energy levels around Infinity Mountain are steadily growing. At this rate, it will reach a dangerous level around sundown," Koushiro explained.

"So we need to get up there and stop Devimon now," Ken summarized. Taichi looked at their Digimon partners, who had gathered at the corner of the hut.

"You lot ready?" The Digimon nodded and gave a cheer. Daisuke stood up and dashed out of the hut.

"Alright! To Infinity Mountain!" he shouted, as everyone except for Phoenix raced to catch him.

Phoenix turned to Gennai.

"Thanks." The old man shrugged.

"When are you going to tell them everything?" he asked.

Phoenix sighed and looked at his feet. "When the time is right," he muttered. The boy run out of the hut, trying to catch up with the others.

* * *

Birdramon and Kabuterimon flew towards Infinity Mountain carrying the older teens. The others flew on their partner's armor or adult forms. Phoenix was riding with Takeru on Peagasmon, while Iori was riding with Miyako and Holsmon. It was the first time Phoenix was experiencing the wonders of flying and he was enjoying every moment of it. The wind chilled him to the bone, causing him to hug Lupusmon tighter. Lupusmon grumbled at the fact that he was getting squashed like a plush toy.

It did not take long for the Digimon to reach the base of the mountain. The group looked up to the peak. Memories flooded through the minds of the original seven as they thought back to their first major battle. The memories came to Takeru the strongest.

"We should fly to the top of the mountain," Ken suggested, "that's where Devimon would most likely be hiding."

Taichi nodded. He was about to approve the plan and give out instructions when multiple Digimon came flying down from the mountain peak. The Digimon shouted a battle cry, before diving down towards the Digimon.

"Devidramons! Incoming!"

* * *

_I apologize for the short update as well as any spelling errors that I may have missed in the previous few chapters.__  
_


	5. The Peak

_ Dknight27 : I hope the name was not too corny/boring._

_ LILFOC : Thanks for the review! To answer your questions, I don't intend for Lupusmon to be digivolve into an angel type. I have plans for that much later in the story. (you will have to wait and see :D) Also Davis is 16. You probably can work out ages of the others from there. _

_Disclaimer - I do not own Digimon._

* * *

Chapter 4 - The Peak

"Scatter!" Agumon shouted. The Digimon jumped out-of-the-way as the Devidramon's attacks hit the spot they were standing at a moment ago. The Devidramons continued to dive the Digimon, bombarding them with attack after attack.

"Devimon must have sent them to stop us!" Iori said.

"We don't have time to deal with these Digimon! The energy level is almost at its peak!" Koushiro shouted. A stray Demonic Gale landed behind, narrowly missing the boy genies. Taichi thought for a moment, before issuing out an order.

"Alright, we'll split up. Those of you, who can reach the mountain peak by air, go up there and stop Devimon. The rest of us will hold the line here," he ordered. The gang quickly split up. Daisuke, Ken, Miyako, Sora, Koushiro, Hikari and Takeru rushed for their partners. Phoenix and Lupus,on climbed on top of Pegasmon back along with Takeru. XV-mon and Stingmon flew up carrying Daisuke and Ken in their arms. Holsmon, Pegasmon and Nefertimon followed them, with Kabuterimon and Birdramon bringing up the rear.

Taichi watched them flew up the mountain. He took out his Digivice. The remaining Chosen Children followed him. White light shone out of the Digivices and enveloped their Digimon partners.

"Agumon digivolve…Greymon!"

"Gabumon digivolve… Garurumon!"

"Palmon digivolve…Togemon!"

"Gomamon digivolve…Ikkakumon!"

"Armadimon armour digivolve…Digmon!"

The evolved Digimon counterattacked, knocking out Devidramons out of the sky with their attacks.

"Mega Flame!"

Greymon launched a huge ball of fire. It hit several Devidramon, causing their wings to ignite which resulted in a forced landing.

"Fox Fire!"

Garurumon shot a stream of blue fire, burning more Devidramon out of the sky. Ikkakumon, Togemon and Digmon quickly closed in to finish off the enemy before they could regroup.

"Mach Jab!"

"Harpoon Vulcan!"

"Big Crack!"

Togemon threw herself into the pile of grounded enemies, dealing out lighting fast punches. Digmon split the ground open, causing Devidramons to become trapped. The trapped Digimon became easy targets for Ikkakumon's attacks.

Jou looked up at the mountain peak and shouted a warning.

"Heads up!" Another fleet of Devidramons were flying down in attack formation. Mimi noticed that many more Devidramon circling the peak, slowly making their way towards them. She reached out and held Jou's hand.

This was not going to be an easy fight.

* * *

XV-mon landed on the peak, letting Daisuke out of his arms. Stingmon landed besides him and did the same. Daisuke watched at the others arrive and land behind him. Takeru walked forward, his face carrying a dark expression.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered. A layer of anger was hidden beneath his voice. The rest of the group glanced at each other. None of them had any idea why Takeru was getting so worked up, except for Hikari. She knew the amount of pain Takeru had received at the hands of Devimon. It was a secret that Takeru had only revealed to her.

Hikari ran forward and grabbed Takeru's hand. His face softened as he looked at Hikari.

"I'm fine. I just got caught up in the moment." He lied. The others accepted the answer, beginning to look around the peak for signs of Devimon. However Hikari could read him like an open book. She knew he was lying but wondered whether she should push the subject further.

"Takeru, I know you're lying." She said as she pulled Takeru out of earshot of the others. She turned him around until they were facing each other. "The incident still haunts you right?" she asked the blond teen. Takeru nodded. He was about to reply when something burst out of the rock wall behind him.

Everyone shielded their eyes as derbies scattered around them. A dark figure emerged from the hole in the wall, the dust hiding its identity from the rest. The figure spread its wings and let loose and evil laugh. Koushiro, Sora and Takeru felt a chill down their spine. They knew that sound all too well.

The dust settled, revealing Devimon standing by the hole in the mountain. The dark Digimon spread its wings and flexed his claws.

"Well, well, well… It seems the Chosen Children have arrived to stop me. Even the children of Hope and Light came as well. I'm horned." Devimon gave a bow.

"We will stop your plans Devimon, no matter what they are!" Takeru vowed, his voice layered with fury.

"That's right! Go get him XV-mon!" Daisuke ordered. The blue-white Digimon leaped forward, his actions followed by the other Digimon. Pegasmon and Nerfertimon attacked first.

"Sanctuary Bind!" they shouted in unison. A rope of light formed between the two Digimon. One end of the rope was attached to Pegasmon front legs while the other to Nerfertimon. The two Holy Beast Digimon flew towards Devimon and ensnared him with the rope. The rope wrapped around Devimon, tying his arms and wings to his body.

Seeing their chance, the other Digimon attempted to attack, but Devimon was faster. He managed to free one of his arms and grabbed the length of the rope that was still connected to Pegasmon and Nerfertimon. The fallen angel pulled hard, yanking the two armor Digimon out of their flight path. Without any tension, Devimon's bindings loosened, allowing him to counter-attack.

"Tempest Wing!"

"Spiking Finish!"

Holsmon did barrel rolls as he charged at Devimon. The wind surrounding him turned into a living tornado. Stingmon extended the stinger in his right arm. He dove towards Devimon, attempting to skewer his opponent.

"Hell Contract!"

Devimon clasped his palms together. He created a black cloud of gas between his hands and unleashed it on Holsmon and Stingmon. The gas weakened the two Digimon, forcing them to break off their attack. Devimon swung his arms, swatting them out of the sky. Stingmon and Holsmon crashed into the mountain, creating two large craters. Ken and Miyako quickly rushed to their partners, shouting their names. XV-mon, Birdramon and Kabuterimon charged forward, preventing Devimon from launching an attack on Ken and Miyako.

"X-Laser!"

"Meteor Wing!"

"Mega Blaster!"

XV-mon released an energy wave from the pattern on his chest. Birdramon flapped her wings, causing fire to rain from the sky. Kabuterimon charged up a large ball of electrical energy and launched it at Devimon. The dark Digimon jumped backwards, dodging the attacks with ease. He extended his wings and released a beam of energy from them.

"Razor Wing!"

The attack hit the three opposing Digimon, sending them flying across the battlefield. Daisuke, Sora and Koushiro chased after their partners, each of them praying and hoping that they were alright.

"Pathetic!" Devimon spat, "are none of you strong enough to defeat me?"

"Damn, he sure is strong," Daisuke observed. Miyako rolled her eyes.

"Gee, what told you that? The sight of our Digimon getting their ass whooped?" she said.

"We don't have a choice. We need to digivolve to Perfect," Ken said. He took out his D-3 and turned to his DNA-Digivolution partner. "Ready Daisuke?" he asked. The two teens raised their D-3s. Hikari and Miyako followed suit. Nerfertimon and Holsmon reverted to their regular forms before initiating the digivolution process.

"XV-mon…Stingmon...DNA-Digivolve…Paildramon!"

"Hawkmon…digivolve…Aquilamon!"

"Aquilamon…Tailmon…DNA-Digivolve…Silphymon!"

The two Perfect Digimon appeared in a burst of light and flew to engage Devimon. The three Digimon exchanged blows in mid-air, each of them not showing any mercy. Koushiro and Sora decided to tend to Tentomon and Piyomon, both who had reverted after their defeat at Devimon, leaving the fight at the hands of the younger Chosen Children. Pegasmon reverted back to Patamon. Takeru quickly picked up his orange partner and run back to the others.

Devimon was becoming exhausted. Even with his strength, fighting two Perfect level Digimon was taking a toll on him. Devimon extended his arms and pushed Sliphymon and Paildramon back. He flew higher into the air at the same time, creating a bit of breathing room between him and his opponents.

"Esgeima!"

Thick lengths of rope shot out of Paildramon's arms. The rope ensnared Devimon, preventing him from escaping further. In one swift motion, Paildramon pulled Devimon towards him and planted a kick square in his chest.

"Dual Sonic!"

Silphymon swept his arms, creating a body of energy and sending it at Devimon. The attack hit the fallen angel, driving Devimon towards the ground. Paildramon readied his cannons. Silphymon gathered energy in his hands, before launching it at Devimon.

"Desperado Blaster!"

"Top Gun!"

The two attacks stuck Devimon, creating a sizable crater around the target. "Time to finish this!" Paildramon shouted as he aimed his cannons again. Just as he was about to fire, a stream of black light burst through the mountain peak. A shower of rocks rained on the humans and Digimon. One rock hit Paildramon, causing his shots to go wide. As the shower of rocks ended, Phoenix, Takeru and Hikari realized that they had become separated from the others by a rock wall. To make matters worse, Devimon was on their side of the wall.

The dark Digimon noticed the situation as well. "The Chosen Children of Hope and Light all alone! A perfect chance to permanently cripple the forces of good!" he shouted.

"Over my dead body, Devimon!" Patamon retorted as he flew out of Takeru's arms. Takeru was reluctant to let Patamon fight but they had no choice. He had to protect Hikari from Devimon. The blond teen raised his D-3, enveloping Patamon with a glow of light.

"Patamon digivolve…Angemon!"

Angemon appeared in a flash of holy light. The three humans shielded their eyes as Angemon stood before Devimon. The black Digimon didn't even seem fazed by the appearance of his mortal enemy.

"This will end just like our last encounter Angemon!" Devimon sneered, "Except with you being permanently deleted!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it!"

Everyone turned towards the voice. Paildramon and Silphymon had were hovering over the rock wall. They swoop down and landed beside Angemon.

"Sorry we took so long. But we had to make sure the others were safe." Silphymon explained.

"Give up Devimon! There is no way you can defeat us!" Hikari shouted, "Whatever your plans are, it's over!" The evil Digimon laugh manically upon hearing the teenage girl's words.

"Over? Child of Light, it has already been set in motion! Observe," Devimon said as he raised his hand towards the black light that had emerged from the mountain peak. Everyone turned to look up and the humans gasped in shock. Dark energy was constantly flowing out of the mountain peak and flying of into the distance horizon.

"My goal was to collect the data of Digimon for my masters' grand plan," Devimon gloated. He shifted into a battle stance. "And now I shall do my masters a favor and destroy Light and Hope!" he cried. A beam of dark energy shot out of the peak and enveloped Devimon.

As the dark energy faded, Devimon was no more. In his place, stood a larger Digimon. He looked a lot like Devimon but much more deadlier with his metal covered claws and spiked boots. The black tattered wings that Devimon had were replaced with broad red demon ones.

"Witness the power my masters have granted me! My Perfect form, NeoDevimon!" the fallen angel shouted. He leapt off the ground and flew to attack Angemon.

Paildramon leap forward and locked hands with NeoDevimon. The two Perfect Digimon pushed against each other, neither of them budging an inch. Paildramon raised his organic cannons and aimed it at NeoDevimon.

"Desperado Blaster!"

The cannons fired point black at NeoDevimon, but the dark Digimon didn't even wince in pain. NeoDevimon charges his claws with electricity.

"Stun Claw!"

Paildramon screamed as the electicity coursed through his body and paralyzed him. NeoDevimon swept his arms, sending the dragon Digimon flying into the wall. Silphymon charged energy in his palms before firing it at NeoDevimon.

"Top Gun!"

"Deep Sorrow!"

Gales of dark wind flew from NeoDevimon's wings. The wind easily deflected Silphymon's attack before crashing into beast Digimon. Silphymon flew through the air, creating a new crater in the wall beside Paildramon. Angemon was the only Digimon left between NeoDevimon and Hikari and Takeru.

Angemon leapt forward, brandishing his staff. The two Digimon traded blow after blow. Takeru led Hikari further from the fight for her safety. He then realized that Phoenix was nowhere to be found. Takeru could have sworn that the boy was standing beside him moments ago. As he and Hikari took refuge behind a rock, peeping over it to observe the battle. Takeru was afraid, but he knew that he had to stay strong and believe that Angemon could overcome NeoDevimon. Hikari noticed the wave of concern and fear on Takeru's face and squeeze his hand, hoping it would help him somehow.

Angemon kept swinging his staff at NeoDevimon, but the Adult Digimon was clearly outmatched. He was beginning to get exhausted, his staff swinging slower and slower. NeoDevimon didn't even look like he was breaking a sweat as he matched Angemon move for move.

NeoDevimon finally decided that he had enough of fun with Angemon. In one swift motion, he knocked Angemon's staff out of his hands, before paralyzing him with an electrified punch. Angemon released a scream of pain as his body sank to the floor.

"Angemon!" Takeru cried out, after watching his partner's defeat at the hands of NeoDevimon. His cry had accidentally revealed the hiding spot he was sharing with Hikari. NeoDevimon turned towards their location. He walked slowly, as he knew he had his victims cornered.

"Now! It's time to seal my masters' victory!" NeoDevimon shouted as he raised his arms to strike the two humans. Takeru turned around and hugged Hikari in an attempt to protect her from NeoDevimon's attack. Hikari wrapped her arms around Takeru and buried her face in his chest, unwilling to face the end.

"Go! Lupusmon!"

A voice shouted out, gaining NeoDevimon's attention. He noticed a boy stepping out of the shadow of a rock, which had served as his hiding spot. NeoDevimon hesitated when he noticed Phoenix step out of the shadow. He felt a strong presence of power emitting the kid. The power was similar to those that he could sense from the Child of Hope and the Child of Light, yet he could sense an untapped source of darkness energy inside.

Phoenix sudden appearance in front of NeoDevimon gave Lupusmon all the distraction he needed. The wolf Digimon leapt from his hiding spot, delivering a solid blow to NeoDevimon with his paw. Lupusmon followed up with a series of rapid punches. NeoDevimon faltered slightly from the surprise attack, but quickly regained his composure.

"Worthless!" the dark Digimon said as he swatted Lupusmon, sending the child Digimon flying into a rock. NeoDevimon felt that he had wasted enough time, and launched a Guilty Claw attack at Hikari and Takeru.

Takeru opened his eyes as pain hit his back. He could feel multiple pointed objects digging into his back. He looked down at his arms and was relieved to see Hikari unharmed. It was then the blond realized the position he was in. He was lying on the floor with Hikari, the pointed objects being the various pebbles spewed around. Takeru looked up. At first he assumed that NeoDevimon had missed him and Hikari, hitting the rock wall behind them. But his eyes widen in shock when he noticed something sticking out underneath the armored claw.

It was a human arm.

* * *

_A/n: Not much proof reading done so I apologize for any spelling errors as well as the slow updates.  
_


	6. Saint of Swords

_Thanks for the review TogetherAgain. Apologies for the errors, I try my best even though English was never my strongest subject in school. _

_Discalimer - I do not own Digimon in any way. No really._

* * *

Chapter 5 - Saint of Swords

Phoenix watched at Lupusmon launched himself at NeoDevimon with a series of punches. However, there was only so much that a Child level Digimon like Lupusmon could do against NeoDevimon. The boy was not surprised when he saw NeoDevimon easily defeat his Digimon partner in one blow. He watched as NeoDevimon immediately turn and stretched his arms out towards the two other humans. The boy dashed like lighting, racing against NeoDevimon's attack. Only one thought ran through Phoenix's mind.

He was not going to lose them again.

The boy dashed as fast as he could. He did a flying tackle as he saw the claw a meter away from hitting its target, hoping with all his soul that he had made it in time. Phoenix felt his hands hit a solid object. The object toppled from the impact. Pain then seared throughout his body as he felt himself being crushed.

"Phoenix!"

Takeru heard Lupusmon cried out. He struggled to stand up due to the pain he had from falling unto his back. Hikari stood beside him, their hands still intertwined. NeoDevimon was standing slightly away from them, one of his claws extended in length allowing them to hit the rock wall behind Takeru. NeoDevimon pulled his claws from their embedded spot in the rock wall. Hikari and Takeru gasped when they saw that NeoDevimon had Phoenix in his grasp. The boy was struggling to break free, but the attempt was futile.

"You may have a form of power inside you boy," NeoDevimon sneered, "But you are a fool for getting in my way!"

He tightened his grip, causing Phoenix to cry out in pain. Paildramon, Silphymon and Angemon struggled to get up, but they were still under the effects of NeoDevimon's attack. Lupusmon lay battered on the flow, unable to gather the strength needed to get up and save his human partner.

As the wolf Digimon was about to give up all hope, he felt power surge through his veins. It was subtle at first, like a trickle of water flowing down a stream. Lupusmon felt the flow slowly increasing. He soon had the strength to move his limbs. Five seconds later he could stand on his own. He suddenly remembered Phoenix's plight and looked at NeoDevimon. A glow of bright light was emerging from NeoDevimon.

Lupusmon thought that his enemy was glowing at first. He blinked and realized that the glow was not coming from NeoDevimon, but from his hand. NeoDevimon released his grip on Phoenix, afraid of the light that was now emerging from his palm. Lupusmon watched his partner drop to the ground with a loud thud. The D-Ultimate attached to his wrist was glowing brightly. The Digimon felt another surge of energy course through his body. Only this time the energy was much stronger.

Phoenix groaned as he hit the ground. It was not really painful, but after the getting squashed by NeoDevimon, it hurt even more. He looked at the D-Ultimate attached to his arm. He remembered being crushed by NeoDevimon. Glancing at the shining device, he wondered if this was the prayer he was hoping for. This was the first time he had seen the device act this way, but subconsciously he knew what he had to do.

Even if he had no idea what will happen.

Phoenix raised his arm, lifting the D-Ultimate into the air. He watched as a beam of light shot out and hit Lupusmon. The wolf Digimon glowed brightly. The light grew brighter, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.

"Lupusmon digivolve…WarLupusmon!"

Everyone stared at Lupusmon's Adult form. WarLupusmon stood two times as tall as an average human. He had the look of a humanoid wolf. He wore leather pants and had a sword attached to the belt on his left. Topping the appearance was a gauntlet that he wore on his left hand.

WarLupusmon drew his sword and pointed it at NeoDevimon. The wolf warrior snarled in anger, before leaping in to attack the dark Digimon. NeoDevimon was surprised at the speed of the attack. WarLupusmon's skill with the sword was remarkable. His attacks were both fast and forceful, leaving his victim with no choice but to use both his claws for defense. WarLupusmon also used his gauntlet to his advantage, using to strike NeoDevimon everytime he saw an opening.

Phoenix struggled to get up, but managed to do so despite the pain. The other Digimon were still paralyzed, leaving his partner to fight NeoDevimon single-handed. He noticed Takeru and Hikari hiding behind a rock, and was glad that they were safe. He looked at the two Digimon clashing in front of him. Even though WarLupusmon clearly having dominance over the fight, he was only an Adult Digimon unlike NeoDevimon who was a Perfect. Phoenix knew that WarLupusmon would not be able to win without assistance, especially against a powerful Perfect like NeoDevimon.

The boy look at the device in his hand. He knew that there was a way to help Lupusmon. He remembered Gennai warning him about the risks of activating the function on his D-Ultimate, but Phoenix felt that he had no choice. He activated the bio-scanner on the face of the device. The boy concentrated as hard as he could, channeling his energy the way Gennai had taught him. Phoenix placed his hand over the scanner and felt his strength being drained into the D-Ultimate.

The device glowed bright orange. WarLupusmon soon begin to glow bright orange as well. He swung his sword at NeoDevimon, forcing him to block with both his claws. WarLupusmon charged his gauntlet with orange energy and drove it into NeoDevimon's chest, sending him backwards.

"This is your end, NeoDevimon!" WarLupusmon shouted as he readied his sword. He charged forward and slashed through his enemy with a clean stroke.

"Crescent Slash!"

Phoenix watched as NeoDevimon split in half and began to digitize. He raised his arm weakly. Using the bio-energy boost of the D-Ultimate had taken a toll on his body. Phoenix managed to activate the device in time. He watched as NeoDevimon's data get absorbed into the D-Ultimate, trapping him inside the device.

The boy staggered to a nearby rock and leaned against it. Phoenix watched as the Digimon reverted back to their original forms. The paralysis had finally worn off. Takeru and Hikari did a quick check on Patamon and Tailmon respectively. The Digimon looked fine but were clearly showing signs of exhaustion. V-mon was yapping about food while Hawkmon and Wormon looked ready to fall asleep any second. Patamon rested at his usual nook on Takeru's head while Tailmon snuggled in Hikari's arms. Lupusmon sat beside Phoenix, who was now sitting down by the rock.

Takeru turn to look at Hikari. His best friend was watching the last rays of sunlight in the horizon. After NeoDevimon's defeat, the dark energy emerging from the mountain had dissasipated. The blond boy could not help but blush as he saw the orange rays of sunset flowing over her face. It made Hikari looked like an angel. Takeru realized there and then that he was falling for his best friend. Falling hard too.

The sound of drilling knocked Takeru out of his chain of thought. The noise was coming from the rock wall that divided the battlefield in half. Takeru quickly moved and placed himself in front of Hikari. Lupusmon also stood protectively in front of Phoenix. The sound of drilling intensified and the rock wall eventually crumbled. Everyone was expecting an enemy to appear, but the familiar shape of Digmon made them relax.

"I did good, if I say so myself" Digmon complimented himself. The insect Digimon nearly lost his balance as two speeding bullets shot pass his feet. Taichi and Yamato dashed towards their younger siblings, pulling them into a bear hug. The rest of the group appeared though the hole. Daisuke, Miyako and Ken became relieved upon seeing their Digimon partners safe. Taichi was fussing over his younger sister, going into overprotective brother mode. Yamato gave Takeru a friendly slap on the back, causing the younger blond to yelp in pain.

"Are you alright?" Yamato asked as his eyes widen in panic. He quickly motioned Jou over. Takeru had multiple bruises on his back, but Jou assured Yamato that they were only minor injuries.

"You should look into Phoenix," Takeru said. He pointed to the brunette kid, who was leaning against the rock. Lupusmon was watching his partner with worried eyes.

Jou made his way towards the boy. "Phoenix?" he asked, "You okay?"

"I…I…I'm fine," Phoenix stammered. He weakly waved Jou off and proceeded to stand up by himself. However, exhaustion finally caught up with his tired body as he felt his world slowly turn black.

The last thing Phoenix remembered was falling to the ground.

Hikari watched as the group as they discuss the battle against NeoDevimon with Gennai at Kousiro's apartment. With the nighttime approaching, Taichi had decided to return to home and contact Gennai there. Their old mentor frowned when he heard that Devimon had managed to Digivolve.

"If Devimon could obtain such power," Gennai observed, "Imagine what will happen if your other enemies also have access to the same power."

The thought sent a shiver down Hikari's spin. It was not a pleasant thought. She watched the group grow silent as they all imagined the scenario. Only Jou and Liz kept a serious expression. The former was doing a full check-up on Phoenix. Yamato, Daisuke and Ken had carried the unconscious boy back to the Real World. Despite what his body had endured during the encounter with NeoDevimon, Phoenix suffered only a sprained ankle and minor cuts and bruises. Everyone, espically Jou, were totally surprised.

"Luck," Lupusmon had simply answered when everyone had demanded an explanation, "Just pure Phoenix luck."

Hikari watch Liz apply a medical ointment on Takeru's bruises. The half-naked blond occasional twitched in pain as Liz applied the ointment. She had medical training, but they were mainly self-taught and were not as good as Jou. Hikari found herself slowly droning out of the discussion. Her eyes lay on Takeru's naked torso, and the teenage girl found herself unable to look away. Takeru was not super muscular, but Hikari thought his chest was pretty sexy.

The brunette's chain of thoughts were cut short by a nudge at her side. She turned to look at Miyako, giving her a questioning look in the process. The purple haired girl learned in and whispered into her best friend's ear.

"Like what you see Hikari?" Miyako whispered. She enjoyed teasing Hikari about her relationship with Takeru. Hikari's face turned crimson. She shoved Miyako away.

"Shut up!" Hikari hissed. Miyako could not help but giggle at her best friend's reaction. Hikari rolled her eyes in defeat and turned her attention back on the discussion happening in the room.

"On the bright side, you foiled NeoDevimon's plan, whatever it is," Gennai summarized.

"What about mystery boy over there?" Daisuke asked, pointing at the unconscious Phoenix.

"We need to bring him back to his family," Ken said. The others nodded in agreement. "Do you know who they are?" the dark hair genius asked Gennai.

"I am in no position to answer that question Ken," Gennai replied, causing Taichi to raise his eyebrows. "You should ask Phoenix yourself," Gennai continued, "Or better yet figure it out yourself." Gennai gave a small chuckle cut the communication.

"Figure it ourselves?" Matt asked as he ran a hand through his blond hair. "How are we even gonna do that?"

"Perhaps I have the answer," Jou said. Everyone turned to look at him. The blue haired doctor pointed at a black locket hanging on Phoenix neck. "I found it while I was giving him a checkup. Normally I'm not one to peek at people's belongings, but this time I'm willing to make an exception," he explained.

"Alright. Let's see what we can find out," Taichi said as he reached for the locket. The object was in the exact size and shape of a playing card. The bushy hair boy opened the locket. Everyone watched as his face went pale, before turning red with anger. Taichi turned to Takeru, who was putting his shirt back on. The blond boy's eyes widened in fear as the older Yagami pounced on him. Yamato and Ken quickly rushed forward and pulled him off Takeru. Taichi was shouting incoherently as Yamato and Ken pinned him against the wall.

"Taichi! What are you doing?" Hikari shouted as she rushed to Takeru side. Taichi swore and cursed as he tried to pry himself free. Daisuke watched his idol stuggle against Yamato and Ken. The google head walked over to the bed and looked at Phoenix's locket. The teenage boy eyes widen in surprise as the locket dropped out of his hands. Daisuke felt his legs became weak as he stepped away from the bed. He raised his hands to his head. Everyone noticed that he was visibly shaking. Daisuke touched the goggles he wore on his head, as if to confirm that the object existed. The teen became relived as he felt the familiar object at its usual place.

Everyone was curious. Their leaders, the bearers of courage, started acting weirdly after looking at the locket. Sora grabbed the locket and opened it. Inside the locket were two pictures, one on each side. The picture depicted two teenagers. The girl was making a peace sign towards the camera and the boy was standing behind her with his arms around the girl's waist. Sora noticed that the duo in the picture looked like an older Hikari and Takeru.

The second picture was much more intriguing. Sora guessed that it depicted a younger Phoenix. There was also a blond girl beside Phoenix. Sora did not recognize the girl, but she guessed she was Phoenix's close friend judging from the way the two were acting in the picture. What caught her eye was the pair of goggles that the blond girl was wearing. The goggles were an exact duplicate that Daisuke was wearing.

Sora closed the locket and turned to the rest of the group. Taichi was still pinned to the wall. Koushiro and Jou had joined Yamato and Ken in their attempt to pin their leader down.

"Taichi!" Sora shouted, her voice echoing throughout the apartment, "If you don't stop acting like an idiot, I will cut that bush on your head short!" Taichi stared at Sora, but the redhead gave a death glare back.

"Fine," the Child of Courage muttered," just don't mess with the hair." Yamato and the others released their hold of Taichi, letting out a sigh.

"Excuse me?"

Everyone turned at the sound of the voice. Phoenix had woken up and was watching them with a puzzled look.

"Where exactly am I?"

* * *

_Even though NeoDevimon is gone. This fic is far from over yet._

_I hope I don't get flames over the fact that Lupusmon does not digivolve into an angel but a wolf instead.I have the next chapter already written so I will update asap.  
_

_Cheers!_


	7. Explainations

_Sorry I haven't updated as fast as I as before. The last week has been rather hectic due to work._

_ chromate - I upload that fast as I have already written the first few chapters before hand._

_ gallantmon7196 - I appreciate your review a lot. I didn't wrote in Lupusmon statistics (I actually didn't thought about it until I read your review) so I left them at the end._

_Disclaimer - I do not own Digimon. _

* * *

Chapter 6 - Explainations

Phoenix took a sip of water in the cup Liz handed to him. Everyone had decided to move into Koushiro's living room. The four couples managed to squeeze themselves onto the biggest couch. Takeru and Hikari had claimed another as their own. In account of his injured ankle, everyone forced Phoenix to sit on the armchair. This left Daisuke, Tai and Iori sitting on the floor. Needless to say, Taichi were not too happy about it.

"Deal with it," Yamato said as he kicked Taichi in the back. The bushy haired boy shot him a look which Yamato ignored.

"So care to explain who you really are?" the blond said to Phoenix. The kid nodded in reply.

"My name is Phoenix Takashi and my Digimon partner over there is Lupusmon," he explained. Everyone eyes widened at the statement. Their eyes glancing between Phoenix and the brown mini-wolf sitting at his feet.

"My parents are Takeru and Hikari Takashi," Phoenix continued. He let the last statement sink into the Chosen Children. The living room had turn silent, the only sound coming from the Digimon digging into snacks in the corner.

Taichi was the first to react. He glared at Takeru and pointed a finger at the Child of Hope. "You son of…" Taichi started, but a fist connected with his head.

"Idiot!" Sora shouted as Taichi rolled on the ground, clutching his head in pain. "Phoenix is twelve! Takeru and Hikari met each other when they were eight. There is no way he is their child," she explained.

"Unless…" Koushiro said. The boy genius froze in shock as he began to put two and two together.

"I came from the future?" Phoenix supplied, "If that is what you are thinking then yes, you are correct."

Everyone looked at the boy in shock, trying to digest the information they had just heard. Iori was the one who asked the question burning on everybody's mind.

"Why did you come to the past then?" he asked. Phoenix took another sip from his cup before he answered.

"I came to save the past, saving the future in the process," he said, "After your victory over BelailVandemon, we thought that the Digital World would be safe. But that was not the case." Phoenix ran a hand though his brown hair before continuing.

"Minor incidents kept popping out, both in the Real and Digital World. At first, you were all able to handle the responsibilities, but the increasing responsibilities of your regular lives soon became too much to handle." The boy leaned back as he explained more.

"Gennai and the world leaders soon managed to recruit additional help in the form of Tamers. They are humans who were not destined to have partners from the start, but instead chose a Digimon to partner with. Due to their help, you were finally able to continue with your lives somewhat."

"How badly were our lives affected?" Jou interrupted.

Phoenix face darkened. "Badly," he replied, his face looking at the floor, "Your lives had pretty much hit a standstill. The introductions of Tamers was supposed to relive you if your responsibilities, but that was when **IT** happened."

The boy continued. "Huge numbers of evil Digimon appeared one day. Their forces were so great that they took over the Digital World in a little over a month. The Tamers and world government were barely able to prevent the enemy from crossing over into the Real World."

"Where were we when all this happened?" Yamato asked, concern filling his voice.

"Missing"

"WHAT?"

Phoenix raised his hand slightly to silence Yamato. "A week before the incident, the original eight Chosen Children disappeared without a trace." Everyone looked at each other as the news hit them. The Digimon had also begun listening into the conversation, causing the room to become extremely quiet.

"Gennai kept searching for every one of you. Without your help, the forces of darkness would eventually overpower us. He soon realized that you were all misplaced in time. He managed to trace an energy signal from the time of your disappearance. The signal ended here, in this point of time. Gennai sent me back hoping that I could somehow alter the future."

"Why did he only send a kid? Why not an adult or a team?"Ken asked.

"Time traveling is still an experimental technology in my time. Sending a single person took weeks of preparation. Sending a group would have taken forever," Phoenix answered. He raised his left arm, showing the device attached to his wrist.

"There is also the D-Ultimate. Gennai designed it with the aim to create the greatest Digivice in mind. Its main function is the ability capture the data of defeated Digimon. It was like a prison of sort. It has other functions as well as the ability to copy new ones."

"That does not explain why it had to be you," Mimi pointed out.

"I was the only person Gennai entrusted it with. Most likely because of my ancestry, being born from Hope and Light," Phoenix answered as he looked at Takeru and Hikari. The two teens blushed at his statement. Taichi got up from his position on the floor.

"That's enough information for now. It's getting late. We should all be getting back home before our families start worrying about us," he said.

* * *

Takeru opened the door to his house. Before everyone went back to their homes, Jou had decreed Phoenix well enough to walk, but advised him against any excessive physical activity for a couple of days. They had also decided to let Phoenix stay at Takeru's house for the time being, as his mother was away at a press conference overseas.

Patamon flew into the kitchen the moment the door opened. The orange Digimon snuggled on the couch. "It's good to be back," he said, as he fell asleep. Phoenix and Lupusmon stepped into the house tentatively. They followed Takeru as he led them to the spare guest room that Yamato would use when he stayed over on certain nights.

The bedroom was simply decorated with a bed, a dresser and a wardrobe. Despite the lack of frequent use, Takeru's mother had ensured that it was kept relatively clean. Phoenix entered the room and sat on the bed, in the process tossing his backpack in a corner. Lupusmon sat at the foot of the bed, his eyes studying the room.

"You should go to bed. It's getting late and you had a long day," Takeru said.

"Thanks," Phoenix replied. Takeru closed the door and headed to his own room. He pondered on how he had to announce the news to his mother if she ever found out about Phoenix. However, he eventually began to start thinking about Hikari. Takeru wondered if there was a chance Hikari saw him as more than just friends. Afterall, a boy from the future had just arrived claiming that he was their son. Takeru had to admit that the possibility was there. Phoenix had blue eyes just like him and his hair was brown just like Hikari's. The blond lay on his bed and slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

Hikari sat at the edge of her bed, her mind thinking back to the events earlier today. Her memories mostly rested on the fight with NeoDevimon. Mainly Takeru shielding her with his body. She felt safe and protected in his arms. The brunette signed. She wondered if Takeru had feeling for her or just saw her as a friend. The sudden appearance of her future son Phoenix was certainly a shock to her. Hikari wondered if it was an sign that she should come forward with her feelings for Takeru. Even if the blond returned her feelings, there was still the problem called Taichi. She sank her head into her pillow, letting sleep take over her.

Taichi sat on the couch at home watching a late night soccer game. He tried to concentrate on the game but it was futile. His thoughts kept going back to the fact that Takeru having a child with Hikari in the future. Hikari! His baby sister! Taichi ran his hand through his hair in frustration, his over-protective brother instinct kicking in.

His cell phone rang; the caller id told him that Yamato was on the line. Taichi felt irritated. Currently Yamato was not on his number-one-person-to-talk-to list. He answered the call, mainly just to keep his cell quiet.

"What do you want?" Taichi grunted.

"Someone is moody I see," Yamato teased.

"Just because we may become related in the future doesn't mean I won't go over and kick your butt," the older Yagami retorted.

"Still can't accept that fact? You know the two of them were made for each other," Yamato pointed out.

"But this is my baby sister we are talking about!"

"One, she is sixteen now. Dating is natural at her age. Two, you know Takeru will never hurt her intentionally."

Taichi let the words sink in. Deep down he knew Yamato was right. He and Sora always had a way of convincing him.

"You're right," Taichi muttered, "but all these won't matter if the two of them don't harbor feelings for each other." Yamato almost shouted through the phone.

"Have you been on another planet? Everyone knows and sees that they like each other. Well except for them. Maybe they need a little nudge." Taichi's eyes narrowed.

"Are you suggesting we try to pair them up?"

"Yup! We should go call Mimi. You know how she…"

Yamato rambled on as Taichi rubbed his temples. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

A black figure sat on his throne. He stared out at the view provided by his window. It was night-time in the Digital World, his favorite time of the day. The figure turned his head as he heard footsteps. His minion LadyDevimon walked up to his throne.

"Report"

"NeoDevimon is no longer with us."

"That fool!" the figure cursed, "I told him that even with his new powers Hope and Light are still stronger than him."

"Actually Master, a new Child was the cause of his demise," LadyDevimon said.

"Interesting…" the Master replied, "NeoDevimon's death is unfortunate, but it does not hinder our plans." He opened his fist, revealing a tag and crest resting in his palm.

"After all, he did complete his main objective." He turned to LadyDevimon.

"Move on to the next phase," he ordered as he handed the tag to LadyDevimon, "make sure you do not return until you obtain what we need."

"Yes Master," LadyDevimon bowed. She turned and left the throne room. Her master returned to staring out of his window.

* * *

_To be honest, I am worried about how this chapter will turn out._

**Lupusmon**

**A brown creature that resembles a wolf, but is around the size of a dog. Due to the lack of fangs and claws, it utilizes speed to deliver strong punches instead.**

**Level - Child/Rookie**

**Type - Beast**

**Attribute - Virus (Virus seemed more fitting compared to Data)**

**Field - Nature Spirits**

**WarLupusmon**

**A humanoid brown wolf carrying a sword. Due to its mastery of swordsmanship as well as its righteous nature, it is often called the "Saint of Swords". Its Crescent Slash attacks is rumored to be able to cut through anything. **

**Level - Adult/Champion**

**Type - Beast Man**

**Attribute -Virus**

**Field - Nature Spirits, Virus Busters, Nightmare Soldiers**

_Till next time, Noobpills out._


	8. Calm before the storm

_Thanks for all the reviews so far. I realize I am updating later than usual. I have been playing to much StarCraft2. Sorry. _

_Disclaimer - I do not own Digimon. :D_

* * *

Chapter 7 - Calm before the storm

The next day, the Chosen Children gathered at the Takashi's residence. Naturally, they spent half an hour waiting for Daisuke to show up.

"First thing first," Tachi said after everyone had settled down in the living room, "let's clear up any doubts we have from last night." Daisuke's hand immediately shot up.

"Who was that girl in locket? The one with the goggles," he asked. Phoenix let out a laugh. The question amused him. He wondered for a moment how Daisuke will react when he learns the truth.

"Tell me the truth! Why does she have my goggles?" Daisuke shouted impatiently.

"That's because she is your daughter," Phoenix answered. He tried to hold back his laughter as he saw Daisuke's reaction, or everybody's reaction to be precise.

Hikari was the first to break into laughter. The idea that Daisuke, the boy who spent his early teens trying to woe her using pathetic methods, would actually mature enough to get married was hilarious. Soon the others had followed suit, the loudest being Taichi and Miyako.

"He actually managed to grow up and get married?" she asked in between giggles. Daisuke stood up in protest.

"Hey I've matured greatly over the years you know!"

"Daisuke, you still act the same way since the first time I saw you in school," Takeru said as he wiped a tear form his eye. Ken nodded in agreement.

"I gotta agree with him Dai, sorry." Daisuke sputtered in protest. Even his best friend had betrayed him!

"Who is the lucky gal to fall for him?" Mimi asked, ever the hopeless romantic.

"You mean the gal who was kind enough to pity him?" Miayko teased, causing another wave of laughter. Daisuke shot her a dirty look which the purple hair girl promptly ignored.

Phoenix was enjoying the series of events play out in front of him. It reminded him of his younger days, were his parents would take him to the Chosen Children gatherings. The group had still managed to organize gatherings even with their responsibilities as guardians of the world. His felt a tinge of sadness. He missed those gatherings. Even in the future, the group would still tease Daisuke or Taichi. Of course, every teasing had to end at some point.

"Actually, there is no girl," Phoenix answered Mimi, "she was a war orphan. Her name is Rachel. Daisuke chose to adopt her after finding her." The atmosphere dropped heavily after that.

"War orphan?" Sora asked, her voice filled with a tinge of sadness.

"Remember what I told you yesterday?" Phoenix said, "Skirmishes with dark Digimon escalated over time. Casualties were bound to happen sooner or later."

"Let's not start mopping around in sadness and despair over the future. OK?" Taichi said. Koushiro decided to ask then.

"So what do you plan to do now?" the red-head genius asked Phoenix.

"Well we know that NeoDevimon was working for someone only referred to as the Master," Phoenix explained, "I think he may be behind the events that will occur in the future. So I will go and find him."

"I guess we should all start to help then," Taichi said, his voice burning with enthusiasm.

"What about the summer job you picked out with Koushiro?" Sora reminded. Taichi slapped his head.

"Damn, I totally forgot about that. Sorry guys but the job takes up most of my week."

The others also had other plans as well. Iori had an upcoming kendo tournament he needed to practice for. Jou naturally had taken up summer classes. Takeru, Daisuke and Ken had summer training for their respective sports, basketball for Takeru and soccer for Daisuke and Ken. Mimi was attending a fashion design class and had somehow managed to drag the other girls along with her. Yamato was busy with his band, more so with their upcoming album.

"I can't believe none of us are free!" Daisuke shouted in frustration.

"It's fine really. Me and Lupusmon will be fine searching on our own," Phoenix said. Truthfully, he was grateful that none of them was able to accompany him. Aside from finding the Master, Phoenix had other plans in the Digital World. It would be much easier without the others following him.

"Alright," Taichi approved, "If anything happens contact us or Gennai. We will be there in a flash"

"Now to the next topic of discussion," Mimi said, "You all know that Liz's birthday is coming in a few days and I have planned out a barberque…"

* * *

**Two days later…**

"So what other else can the D-Ultimate do?" Koushiro asked.

"Gennai wasn't too clear on that. He only introduced me to the capture function and the power boost mode," Phoenix replied, "I spent weeks training in order to use it properly." Koushiro gave him a puzzled look. Realizing that Koushiro was lost, Phoenix explained.

"In order to use the power boost function, the user needs to focus his spiritual energy at a single location on his body. For me it is at my palm. Basically the user's energy is transmitted to the Digimon."

"That explains why you collapsed after the fight with NeoDevimon." Koushiro said, finally understanding.

The two of them were in Koushiro's house. The red-haired genius was working on a plan to distract Liz on her birthday. Being her boyfriend, Mimi naturally assigned the task to him. Koushiro asked had Phoenix over to help him plan, as well as giving him a chance to find out more about the D-Ultimate. However, Liz is a bright individual, and soon it became evident that coming up with a plan to distract her was not doing to be as easy as Koushiro thought.

"I give up!" Koushiro exclaimed two hours later, "I can't come up with a fool-proof plan. If I take her out for almost the entire day she will get suspicious since we rarely go out that much. I can't stay with her at home because it will be near impossible to get her out of my house due to my projects." He buried his face in his hands.

"Sleep on it," Phoenix advised, "You might find the answer to your problem after a good nap. By the way, what are the others doing for the party?" Koushiro raised his head.

"Mimi and Jou are in charge of cooking while Miyako and Ken are in charge of acquiring all the food. Yamato, Sora and Taichi are supposed to get furniture since we are hosting it outdoors. Daisuke and Iori have to get the equipment for the barbeque. Lastly, Takeru and Hikari are in charge of finding a location for the party," Koushiro answered.

"Seems like Mimi has covered everything," Phoenix said as he shifted his seating posture, "Now we just need a plan…"

* * *

Four figures sat in the darkness of a cave in the Digital World waiting for their boss. A sandstorm was blowing outside the cave, sending occasional gusts of sand inside.

"Why did she have to pick a location in the middle of the desert?" one of the figures grumbled, "I can feel the sand underneath my armor." The figure stretched his long serpent-like body. His movement nearly caused his body to hit the others sitting in the cave.

"Watch in you overgrown serpent!" one of them shouted. The "overgrown serpent" was about to retort, but was cut short by the arrival of his boss.

"LadyDevimon" the "serpent" greeted, He bowed down, and the others followed his actions. LadyDevimon settled on a rock in the center of the cave.

"Let's make this quick. What are the statuses of our forces?" she ordered.

"One group has already arrived at the site. The others are still making their way there. We expect them all to arrive within the week," one of the figure announced.

"Good. What of the portal?" LadyDevimon asked.

"It was tough, but we managed to activate it. It will be ready as per schedule."

"Excellent!"

LadyDevimon raked her claws against the stone war. Her plan was coming into motion. Inside, she laughed evilly as she thought about the horrors that await the Chosen Children. None of them will be able to stop her plan, not even the Hope and Light.

"Move on to the next phrase!" she ordered her four subordinates, "Nothing will stop the Master's plan."

* * *

Takeru lay on his bed, his body sore after an afternoon of vigorous training. Despite their busy schedules, Takeru and Hikari had managed to find and decide on the location to host Liz's birthday. Their relationship however, was a different matter altogether. Ever since Phoenix arrived from the future, Takeru felt as if there was a wall between him and Hikari. He wondered if he was responsible for this wall. Afterall, they had barely spoken to each other yesterday when they met to decide on the venue.

The blond boy felt as if he was losing his best friend slowly. And to Takeru, that was the one thing he feared the most.

*beep**beep*

The notification tone of his phone snapped him out of his thoughts. He lazily reached towards his desk where the device lay. Picking it up, Takeru eyes widen as he saw the sender of the text message.

Hikari.

He quickly opened the message. It was short and simple, her usual style of texting.

_Are your free? If you are, can we meet at the usual place?_

Takeru's heart soared as he read the message. He quickly texted his reply and dashed out of his room. Grabbing his jacket, the blond sped out of the door in record time as he made his way to the park.

* * *

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll get the next chapter up some time tomorrow. It's nearly 4am when I am proof-reading this._


	9. Crests, Alleyways and Park Meetings

_To make up for my late update, I'm putting up this chapter earlier than usual. Enjoy!_

_I happen to saw your review Dknight27, thanks! Now for your question_

_I didn't thought up of children for the others partly because I was too lazy to create that many characters. I only added Rachel, Davis's adopted daughter in as a window for me to possibly continue the story in a potential sequel._

_ Hope this answers your question.  
_

_Disclaimer - I do not own Digimon_

* * *

Chapter 8 - Crests, Alleyways and Park Meetings

Phoenix looked at the vast open field. He wondered how much time he would need to cover the field.

"Thinking about giving up?" Lupusmon said as he walked up beside him. Phoenix stared at his partner.

"If I did, the others would be defenseless against future attacks. Especially since Qinglongmon's digicore was used up a couple of years ago." Phoenix replied.

Before he left for the past, Gennai had given him an additional task. A backup plan in the event that the enemy was too strong for Phoenix to handle. When Phoenix saw Devimon digivolving to Ultimate, he decided to put the backup plan into effect.

The plan essentially involved recreating the crests of the original Chosen Children. The crests had been used to create a force field to protect the Digital World. However, when the Digimon Kaiser built the Dark Towers, the field crumbled to its power. In its weakened state, the field had essentially become useless. Gennai sought a way to return the power of the crests back to their owners. He succeeded, but the disappearance of the Chosen Children made it for naught.

But when Phoenix was sent back into the past…

The boy cradled Gennai's device in his hand. It was in the shape of a cube and was fairly simple to activate. It only had a single button after all. The device needed to be placed at the original point of the force field's creation.

Phoenix stretched his body and consulted the scanner. He had a lot of ground to cover.

Two hours later, Phoenix finally found the place he was looking for. The boy set Grnnai's device on the ground and activated it. Soon, eight tags appeared out of the device. A different crest was in each tag. Phoenix gathered the items on the floor.

"Let's go Lupusmon, we have a delivery to make," the boy said.

* * *

Takeru arrived at the park in record time. He scanned the pack benches, looking for his best friend. The blond spotted a head of brown hair sitting alone on the park bench. He walked towards the bench. Hikari gave him a warm smile as he approached. Takeru's heart beat faster when he saw her smile.

"Hi," Hikari greeted.

"Hey," Takeru replied as he sat on the bench.

"How's your training been?" Hikari asked, attempting to make some light talk. Takeru was glad she spoke up first for he had no idea what to say.

"It's tiring. Coach is pushing us really hard," Takeru said. Hikari nodded. She looked like she wanted to ask something.

"Something on your mind?" Takeru asked noticing that look.

"Yes," she said, "It's about Phoenix. Do you think he is really our son?"

"I believe he is," Takeru answered honestly.

"Why?"

"Because he has your eyes. They shine with the same beautiful light as yours." Takeru felt his face get hotter after making that statement. He noticed that Hikari had suddenly taken an interest in her shoes.

Both of them sat in silence after that, wondering what to say next. After a full minute, Takeru finally spoke up.

"Hikari, I have something to confess," he said. The brunette girl raised her head to look at him.

"We've been best friends for a long time. But I realized something," Takeru continued. He studied Hikari's expression as he spoke, but it was unreadable.

"I like you Hikari. And more than just best friends," he concluded. Takeru felt lighter. Confessing had lifted a weight of his heart. Hikari stared at him, her face slightly dark.

"Do you really mean it?" she asked, her voiced laced with clear irritation, "Or are you saying this just because of Phoenix? Because destiny depicts you being with me?"

Takeru was taken aback by her accusation. He wanted to explain, but was cut short by a ringtone. Hikari fished her cell phone out of her pocket and answered it. It was Taichi.

"Hey sis," Taichi spoke quickly, "Koushiro wants us to meet as his place, apparently Gennai wants to talk to us. Oh, bring Takeru along as well."

"How did you know I was with him? Are you hiding in a bush somewhere?" Hikari started to scan the nearby bushes, looking for a blob of brown hair.

"Hikari, you spend almost all your time with Takeru. Now get to Koushiro's asap." With that, Taichi hung up.

"Come on," Hikari said as she turned towards Takeru, "Taichi wants us at Koushiro's now. Let's go grab our partners."

* * *

By the time Hikari and Takeru arrived at Koushiro's house, the others were already seated around the computer. Mimi was the first to notice their arrival and rushed over to great them.

"You're finally here!" the pick haired girl shouted, "What have the two of you been doing?"

"Just talking," Hikari replied flatly. Mimi question reminded her of the conversation she had at the park with Takeru. It was the last thing Hikari wanted to remember now.

"Hikari! Hurry up!" Taichi shouted from Koushiro's room. The trio quickly made their way inside. Koushiro had already set up a communications channel with Gennai and the others were gathered around Koushiro's computer.

"Finally!" Daisuke as they entered the room. Koushrio looked at the monitor.

"We're all here Gennai," he said. Hikari sat on the edge of Koushiro's bed, placing Tailmon on her lap. For once, all the Digimon were seated beside their partners instead of pigging in the corner on food. Takeru stood on the opposite side of the room with Patamon on his head while Mimi made her way towards Jou and Palmon.

"Great! Now with this Master persona threatening the Digital World, I managed to obtain something that will help you in future battles," Gennai said as he reached for something off screen, "Your crests."

Everyone in the room watched with wide-eyes as Gennai held a container in his hands. He opened it, revealing a bunch of tags inside. Hikari barely managed to make out her own crest.

"Wait! I thought the crests were sacrificed to protect the Digital World," Miyako exclaimed.

"We gave them up to create a barrier which would prevent evil forces from attacking the Digital World," Sora explained.

"How did you manage to get them?" Koushiro curiously asked Gennai.

" Phoenix passed them to me actually. He told me to deliver them to you," he answered, "he didn't tell me how he obtain them though."

"Where is he now?" Takeru asked worriedly. It was then Hikari noticed the that both Phoenix and Lupusmon were absent.

"He went back to the human world after passing this to me," Gennai answered, "You mean he is not with you?"

"We can just simply call him and ask him where he is," Daisuke stated. Miyako smacked Daisuke on the head.

"He doesn't have a cell phone idiot!" she scolded.

"Don't worry guys. Lupusmon is with him, Tailmon assured, "They'll be fine."

Inside, Hikari hoped Tailmon was right.

* * *

LadyDevimon watched as her forces begun going through the portal leading to the Real World. They were divided into four groups, each led by one of her subordinates. GigaSeadramon lead the sea-based forces, Chaosdramon led the artillery units, Pinochimon led the air forces and Metaletemon led the grunts. LadyDevimon went through the portal with the last of her forces.

Once in the real world, the invading Digimon wasted no time in setting up their base of operations. They had chosen an abandoned warehouse beside the harbor. As soon as the sun began to set, LadyDevimon dispatched her scouts to begin their search. Each of the scouting Digimon were given a communications device, allowing them to contact LadyDevimon when they had found their target.

A PicoDevimon flew over the alleyways in the downtown area. He watched as the rush hour crowd moved down the streets. The sun was slowly setting in the distance. The Digimon moved into an alleyway to avoid begin spotted. As he settled down behind a trash can, he heard footsteps coming towards him. Quickly, PicoDevimon flew up and hid himself on the fire escape above.

As the footsteps got nearer, PicoDevimon felt a dark presence. He looked down and saw a boy and a dog walked down the alley. From his hiding place, PicoDevimon could barely hear their conversation.

"Great! Another dead end," the boy groaned. He turned to his companion.

"Are you sure you can't sniff your way back?" he asked. The dog… no, the Digimon, PicoDevimon was sure of it, replied.

"I lost the scent five blocks back," the Digimon grumbled, his tail sweeping the floor. "Besides, it's because of you we are in this mess," he accused the boy.

As the pair started to argue, PicoDevimon silently activated his communicator.

"Report," a female voice spoke on the other end.

"This is Scout Two reporting. Potential target found," PicoDevimon spoke through the communicator.

"How good is it?"

"Its lying dormant but if unleashed he may be the one we are looking for."

"I'm sending a capture force," the voice at the other end said, "Bring him to me."

* * *

_There we go! Next update will depend on how much time I devote to writhing this weekend. Till next time._


	10. The Dark Side Has Cookies

_Due to StarCraft 2 servers being down for a day, I actually managed to finish this on schedule. Yay! Enjoy!  
__Disclaimer - I do not own Digimon.  
_

* * *

Chapter 9 - The Dark Side Has Cookies

Phoenix stared at the brick wall in front of him. This was the fifth time in an hour he has hit a dead-end, and it was getting on to his nerves. After delivering the crests to Gennai, he had returned to the Real World only to find the Takashi residence empty. Feeling bored, Phoenix and Lupusmon had decided to go out for a walk.

Now he regretted ever stepping outside.

Phoenix realized that Lupusmon had gone quiet beside him. "Something wrong?" he asked his partner.

"I sense something," Lupusmon said surveying the rooftops, "It felt like- Look Out!"

"Soul Chopper!"

The wolf Digimon tackled Phoenix, sending both of them into one of the many large rubbish bags scattered around the alley. The attack barely missed the duo. A metal chain wrapped itself quickly around Lupusmon, lifting him off Phoenix.

"Lupusmon!" the boy cried out.

"Maybe I should kill the puppy. LadyDevimon only wanted the boy alive," Phantomon said. The Grim-Reaper Digimon had a group of Bakemon with him. "Get the boy," he commanded. Multiple ghost Digimon started closing in on their target.

Phoenix felt the D-Ultimate vibrate on his wrist. "Lupusmon!" he shouted as he raised the device up into the air. A bright light was released, stunning the approaching Bakemon. Phantomon watched with surprise as his captive started to glow.

"Lupusmon digivolve…WarLupusmon!"

Phantomon still had WarLupusmon wrapped in his chain, but the Adult form was too heavy for him. The captive and capturer fell to the alley floor, making a loud thud in the process. WarLupusmon recovered quickly, breaking free from the chain and driving his sword cleanly through Phantomon's chest. The Bakemon watched as their leader digitized, his data being collected by Phoenix's D-Ultimate. WarLupusmon turned his attention to the ghost Digimon, waiting for them to make their move.

"That was a really entertaining performance," a voice echoed through the alley. Everyone turned towards it. A giant monkey man was standing on the roof, his metallic body shimmering in the moonlight.

"I gave Phantomon a chance to prove himself, but it looks like I must take matters into my own hands," MetalEtemon said. He jumped off the roof and landed in front of WarLupusmon, striking a pose in the process. "LadyDevimon grows impatient. She wants you immediately."

WarLupusmon charged forward, hoping to catch the monkey Digimon off-guard. He slashed his blade across MetalEtemon's torso, only to be left with half-a-blade.

"Fool! My Chrome Digizord is stronger than your pathetic weapon," MetalEtemon gloated. Raising his fist, he attacked the now defenseless Digimon.

"No. 1 Punch!"

Phoenix ducked as WarLupusmon was sent flying over his head. The Digimon hit the brick wall that stood at the end of the alley hard. Phoenix watched in horror as his partner reverted back to Lupusmon. The wolf Digimon was unconscious and covered in a layer of bruises. As Phoenix rushed towards Lupusmon, he heard MetalEtemon shout out an order.

"Knock him out!"

Phoenix felt something hit him from behind and his world turned black.

* * *

"Phoenix?" Takeru shouted as he entered the Takashi residence. The house remained silent.

"Is he here?" Hikari asked as she walked through the door. Takeru shook his head. He was starting to get worried. Nobody has heard or seen Phoenix for a while now. He and Lupusmon would usually spend the evening watching television. It was their way of relaxing after spending the day searching in the Digital World. But it was now close to 9pm.

Takeru sat on the couch. His begin to wonder if this was how his mother felt when she found out of his adventures into the Digital World. Hikari sat beside him and held Takeru's hand.

"I'm sure Phoenix is fine. He is with Lupusmon after all," she assured as she squeezed Takeru's hand. Takeru turned to look at her.

"You care about him a lot don't you?" Hikari asked. Takeru only responded with a nod. "We will find him tomorrow, I'm sure of it," she reassured the blond.

The two sat there in silence. The sound of the fridge echoed from the kitchen. Takeru finally decided to speak up.

"Hikari, do you only like me as a friend?" he asked.

"What? Why are you suddenly asking that?" Hikari replied, caught off guard by his question. Takeru decided to press harder.

"This afternoon in the park. Was it because you only see me as a friend?"

"No!" the girl shot back. Takeru's blue eyes were still locked on her.

"Fine!" she shouted, giving in to his piercing gaze, "If you really want to know the truth… I like you Takeru, much more than just friends." Takeru's eyes widened in shock at her sudden confession. Hikari quickly continued, preventing him from speaking up.

"But I don't want to force you to return my feelings. I ju-" Takeru silenced her by placing his finger on her lips.

"Silly girl. I like, no love you because you are you, and not because fate or destiny," he said as he leaned closer to her. Hikari's face started to flush red. Her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. The feelings intensified as the boy of her dreams planted a kiss on her lips.

The girl froze in shock as she felt the warmth on her lips. She quickly recovered and started kissing back. She wrapped her arms around Takeru's neck, savoring the moment. The need for air finally forced them apart. Takeru wrapped his arms around Hikari's waist.

"So, does this mean we are a couple now?" he asked.

* * *

The last thing Pinochimon expected to be doing was guarding a prisoner. Those kinds of jobs were usually given to the grunts. But LadyDevimon instructions were absolute., and Pinochimon wasn't about to disobey a being of her power.

"Is he awake?" LadyDevimon asked as she entered the cell.

"Nope," the puppet Digimon answered, "whatever MetalEtemon did to him sure was effective."

"Wake him, the Master wants to met him," LadyDevimon ordered. Pinochimon silently gulped. He didn't fear LadyDevimon, despite her power. But the Master was a whole different ball game altogether. The grunts under his command would shiver in fear at his presence.

Pinochimon poked the prisoner with his mallet. The prisoner stirred. His hands moved to rub his eyes, only to find his wrists shackled to the wall.

"So, this is the boy that you captured?" a voice asked. Pinochimon watched as a black figure stepped out of a dark portal. He and LadyDevimon quickly bowed at his feet.

"Master," they said in unison. The Master motioned for them to rise. He walked towards the prisoner, studying him in the process.

"Where is the Digimon that you mention in your message?" the Master asked.

"We placed it in another cell," LadyDevimon replied. The Master nodded.

"You were right LadyDevimon, this boy is perfect candidate. If we can tap into his latent energies, he would become unstoppable," he said.

"Whatever it is you are planning, there is no way I will help you," the boy shouted. His eyes stared defiantly at his captors. The Master ignored him.

"I want him ready by sunrise. Use this," he ordered LadyDevimon. Taking an object from his pocket, he placed it in LadyDevimon's hands.

"It's the Crest of Darkness. I created it using the dark energies Devimon acquired," he explained, "with it; this boy will become a tool of destruction. One that I will wield." The Master opened the portal and stepped through it, leaving LadyDevimon and Pinochimon alone with the prisoner.

* * *

Phoenix watched as LadyDevimon slowly approached him. He was starting to fear the object she held in her hand, but he tried his hardest not to show it. He tried to break free of his shackles, but they were tightly bolted to the wall. He still had his D-Ultimate with him, but Lupusmon was nowhere in sight. Without his partner Digimon, the device was useless.

LadyDevimon placed the Crest of Darkness around his neck. As the crest rested on his chest, it glowed. Phoenix screamed in agony as pain shot through his body. It felt as if his chest was on fire, the pain intensified with each passing second. He felt himself slowly blacking out.

* * *

Pinochimon stared as the boy went limp. The crest around his neck had stopped glowing.

"Did it work?" he asked out loud. The boy raised his head. His face lacked emotion and his eyes were dark red instead of ocean blue.

"I think it did," LadyDevimon said.

* * *

_This chapter so far was the hardest for me to write. Mainly because I suck at writing romantic stuff._

_Oh and a major thanks to all of you who have read my story thus far. You guys rock :D_


	11. Division

**I'm back after almost two weeks of inactivity. Life has been busy. **

**I know the last chapter was pretty bad. The chapter title was a crack title.**

* * *

Chapter 10 - Division

Yamato picked up his toast from the kitchen and sat on the living room couch. Following his morning rituals, he turned on the television. He munched on his bread, only to find the daily morning program interrupted by a news bulletin.

"Crap!" he muttered as he watched the news report. Dropping his toast, he reached over the sofa and grabbed the house phone.

"Taichi? We got a problem…"

Fifteen minutes later, the Chosen Children and their partners gathered at the local park. Some of them were yawning. Both Daisuke and Tai had a major case of bed hair.

"I suppose you heard the news by now," Yamato said, "Digimon have been sighted around the city."

"Actually, they are gathered in four separate locations," Koushiro corrected. He brought out a map of the city on his laptop. Four areas were highlighted on the map.

"I checked with Gennai. There have been no major disturbances in the Digital World, so the Digimon didn't get here by accident," the genius continued.

"Phoenix is still missing," Takeru said, "these two events are definitely connected."

Yamato looked at his younger brother. Takeru was obviously worried about the time-travelling kid. The older blond smiled inside. He had a feeling that Takeru would make a great parent in the future.

"All right, we will split into groups and investigate each location," Taichi ordered. He slapped himself lightly in an attempt to get rid of his drowsiness.

"Yamato, Sora and Miyako, head to the Observation Tower at the Science Center. The open area should make flying easier," Taichi ordered, "Daisuke, Ken and Mimi, you three get the Industrial District. It's the furthest and Imperialdramon is the fastest Digimon we've got."As he tried to tame his hair, Taichi continued.

"Jou, Iori and I will check out the port. That leaves Takeru, Hikari and Koushiro with the Convention Center. Remember, we have no idea why these Digimon are here, so try to keep it friendly. Also, keep an eye out for Phoenix, he may be out there." he concluded.

"Let's play it safe," Jou said, "Keep in contact via our D-Terminals. Call for help if things get ugly." Everyone nodded and begun to spilt up and head for their respective destinations. As everyone was leaving, Taichi pulled Takeru aside.

"I know you are worried about Phoenix, but don't let it distract you," the older boy said.

"I won't," Takeru replied. He turned to follow Hikari and Koushiro. Taichi watched them leave, before heading towards Jou and Iori.

"Let's go," he said to the two of them.

LadyDevimon watched as the sun slowly appeared over the horizon. As per the Master's orders, her lieutenants were already in place with their forces, waiting to carry her plan out. It was a simple plan, one of the oldest tricks in the book.

Divide and Conquer.

She felt her surroundings become colder, despite the glare of the morning sun. She turned around and saw her newest weapon standing behind her. The boy's head just barely went above her waist. Aside from his blood-red eyes, he didn't look intimidating in any way. But LadyDevimon was aware of the power he possesses.

"Having trouble maintaining control?" she asked as she watched the boy's face twitch slightly.

"A bit," the boy admitted, "he still fights, especially when he sees his Digimon. It dosen't matter though, the crest allowed me to break free from my prison within him. I trapped him there, and the only way he can get out is if I let him."

"Have you thought about my offer?" LadyDevimon asked. She scratched her claws against a nearby wall.

The boy stretched his arms and took a deep breath. "You have no idea how it is like to be trapped in his body. Being able to see the outside world yet you cannot feel it in any way. It's like being trapped in a glass box." He turned to the dark Digimon.

"Your actions gave me my freedom. I will serve you," the boy concluded.

"Good," LadyDevimon said, "for a moment there I thought I had to force you." She pointed at the claw mark she had made on the wall. The boy didn't seem fazed one bit.

"I repay my debts," he simply said. He looked down at his clothes. He was wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts. They were both black, with the T-shirt having a image of a red bird on the front

"All this time trapped in him, I never did understand his taste in clothing."

"You see anything?" Yamato asked Gabumon. Birdramon and Aquilamon were quickly approaching the Obseration Tower.

"Nope," Gabumon replied "it looks quiet there."

"That can't be right," Miyako said, "the reports clearly indicated that there were Digimon here. I'll go and take a closer look." Before anyone either Yamato or Sora could react, she and Aquilamon raced ahead.

"She can be too reckless sometimes," Sora sighed. Yamato nodded in agreement. The two of them watched as Aquilamon quickly circled the tower.

"No sign of any Digi-" Miyako shouted, but a gust of black wind cut her off. Aquilamon reacted quickly, evading a barrage of Demonic Gales.

"Demidramon!" Gabumon shouted. He pointed at the base of the tower. The Demidramon had hidden themselves in tower's shadow. The dragon Digimon quickly took to the sky.

"Set us down Birdramon," Yamato ordered. Birdramon descend towards the nearby rooftops.

"Bullet Hammer!"

Birdramon flapped her strong wings, quickly stopping her descent as bullets flew past her talons. Sora stared at the Digimon blocking their way.

"Pinochimon," she muttered.

"My sensors indicate an all-clear Iori," Submarimon reported.

"Keep searching Submarion," Iori ordered. Submarimon was about to reply, but was cut off as something shot through the water past them.

"That's definitely a Digimon," Submarimon said. The foreign entity continued to head for the surface.

"We need to warn the others. Move!" Iori shouted. Submarimon didn't need to be told twice. The armor Digimon started swimming towards the surface. However, a group of Hangyomon appeared in front of them, forcing Submarimon to stop.

"Hold on tight!" Submarimon warned, as he dodged a barrage of harpoons.

Back on the surface, Ikkakumon and Jou were searching among the many ships docked in the harbor. Taichi and Agumon had gone inland to search the abandoned warehouses further down the port.

"I wonder if Iori has found anyting?" Jou asked out loud as he hopped off a tugboat onto Ikkakumon's back.

"He better," Ikkakumon grunted, "we've been searching for over fifteen minutes. I'm getting bor-." The white Digimon's words were drowned out by the sound of splashing water. The duo turned towards the noise. A giant metal sea serpent had appeared in the middle of the harbor.

"Is that Metalseadramon?" Jou asked, his voice filled with fear.

"I used to go by that name," the sea serpent said, "but my Master improved me. I am now GigaSedramon!" GigaSeadramon started to power up the cannon in his mouth.

"You will be my first victims. Giga Sea Destroyer!" he shouted. Energy torpedoes shot out of his cannon. Ikkakumon started swimming towards the shore, weaving through boats to use them as cover. Explosions rocked through the harbor as GigaSeadramon continued firing.

"We won't make it!" Jou cried as he clung to Ikkakumon's back for dear life.

"Have faith!" Ikkakumon replied as he dodged a torpedo. As Ikkakumon neared the shoreline, a MarineDevimon surfaced. Realizing that they were trapped, Ikkakumon decided to attack.

"Harpoon Vulcan!"

The horn missile flew towards MarineDevimon, who easily blocked it with one of his tentacles. The virus Digimon charged towards Ikkakumon.

"Gaia Force!"

A huge fireball blasted MarineDevimon from behind, sending him flying. Taichi and Wargreymon appeared on the shore.

"The cavalry has arrived," Taichi shouted as he pumped his fist into the air.

"Positron Laser!"

"Hyper Mugen Cannon!"

The two attacks collided, creating an explosion in the air. Imperialdramon strafed through the air, looking for a chance to attack Chaosdramon. Daisuke, Ken and Mimi dashed through the various factories. The trio had entered the factory district and walked straight into a trap. Now they were dodging Tankmon at every corner. Lilimon flew above them, providing cover fire with her Flower Cannon.

"We need to get out of here," Ken shouted as they dashed through another factory.

"Agreed," Daisuke said, "head towards Imperialdramon." As if on cue, the dragon Digimon crashed through the factory wall.

"Daisuke, Ken, he's too strong," Imperialdramon said, "we need to get out of here."

"That will not be possible," a metallic voice said. Chaosdramon stepped through the hole Imperialdramon created. His metallic red armor shined in the morning sun. He powered up his cannons and aimed them at Imperialdramon.

"None of you are getting out alive!"

AtlurKabuterimon, HolyAngemon and Angewomon landed at the courtyard outside the Convention Centre. The three Digimon set their partners down upon landing. Aside from a makeshift stage covered by curtains, the courtyard was empty.

"Think it is a trap?" Takeru asked Hikari and Koushiro.

"Most likely," Koushiro answered, "how should we approach it?" No sooner had he said those words, the curtains on the stage opened. On the stage stood MetalEtemon. The ape Digimon had a guitar in his hands.

"Welcome kids, you are just in time for the party!" he shouted into his microphone. As he played a chord on his guitar, the stage pyrotechnics activated. Sparkles covered the stage as MetalEtemon continued to play his guitar. The effects ended with a purple flare shooting up into the sky. Bakemon started pouring out of the Convection Center, flooding the courtyard with their numbers.

"Make sure to treat our guests with respect," MetalEtemon said with a toothy grin.

"That's your cue," LadyDevimon said as she watched the purple flare shoot into the sky. She turned to the boy standing beside her. "You know what you have to do?" she asked him. The boy nodded and started walking away.

"Target the angels and their partners, they have a higher priority," LadyDevimon added.

* * *

**I'll try to update faster next time.**


	12. Sides of the Coin

**Been a while since I updated. I should really allocate more of my time to writing.**

* * *

Chapter 11 - Sides of the Coin

Phoenix Takashi felt like he was in a glass cage. From a window, he could see the world outside, through his own eyes even. But he could not move a muscle. He watched himself agree to serve under LadyDevimon. He heard his own voice say that he will eliminate the Chosen Children.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

Phoenix focused his mind. Using the technique he had learned for the D-Ultimate, the boy channeled all his energy into moving a muscle.

"Will you stop it!" a voice shouted, giving Phoenix a shock. He looked around, trying to find the owner of the voice. Due to the dark void, Phoenix had a hard time seeing him at first. But he was soon able to make out the shadow figure standing in front of him.

"Don't do that again. You are making things difficult for me," the figure warned. Phoenix stared at him with a mixture of fear and awe. His body was made out of living shadow. The only features that Phoenix could see were his blood-red eyes. The eyes glowed every time the shadow person talked.

"Who a- What are you?" Phoenix asked.

"Me? Good question," the figure said. Phoenix watched him pace around for a while.

"I suppose you can call me an avatar of darkness," he finally replied, "although I'm not sure if something like that even exists."

"Wait, so you don't even know what you are?" Phoenix questioned.

"I know what I am. I just have no idea how to express it in a way you can understand," the living shadow replied.

"So you are the one controlling my body?" the boy asked.

"Yes," the shadow answered. Phoenix found himself clenching his fists. Anger was an emotion that the boy did not usually feel. But now he felt it pump through his veins.

"How did you get inside me in the first place?" Phoenix growled.

"You are a person with great powers Phoenix," the shadow answered as he walked around the boy, "Born with the light from your parents. Burden with darkness by fate." The shadow walked in front of Phoenix, his red eyes staring into brown ones.

"I travel between hosts, feasting on the darkness within. One day, I chanced upon a newborn with an abundance of darkness." The shadow pointed at Phoenix.

"That was you. I thought I had hit a gold mine, but it turned out into a mouse trap," he spat.

Phoenix's mind started to hurt. A million questions coursed through his brain. One of them stood out the most. "My mother is the Child of Light. How was I even born with darkness?" he questioned the shadow.

"Light and darkness are two sides of the same coin," the shadow explained, "Everyone has darkness and light inside of them, even your parents. But your coin is bigger."

"I thought my powers would protect me. But your light was stronger, even in its raw state. The light imprisoned me inside you. Forced me to watch you live your life, without any form of feelings. But LadyDevimon changed that," the shadow said.

"Should I pity you for being trapped?" the boy retorted.

"No. Save it for yourself," the shadow laughed as he faded away, leaving Phoenix alone in the void. The boy walked towards the window, his only source of light and connection to the outside world. He watched as his body walked towards a courtyard where a giant bug and two angels were surrounded by ghosts.

* * *

"We are sitting ducks out here. We need to move! Now!" Yamato shouted as Birdramon evaded another of Pinocchimon attacks.

"Not with Pinocchimon attacking like that," Sora said as she clung on to Birdramon's leg. The girl closed her eyes as stray bullets shot pass her.

"I have to Digivolve Yamato. We need to deal with that sorry excuse of a puppet," Gabumon said as Birdramon did another evasive maneuver.

"Go for it!" Yamato shouted. Gabumon leaped of Birdramon as Yamato raised his digivice. 'Let's hope this works!' the blond thought.

"Gabumon warp digivolve to… MetalGarurumon!"

MetalGarurumon spread his wings, turning his freefall into a glide. The metal Digimon flew towards Pinocchimon. Caught by surprise by the appearance of the Ultimate level Digimon, the wooden puppet Digimon could only mutter a 'wha' as MetalGarurumon tackled him. Seizing the opportunity, Birdramon landed on a nearby roof.

"Time for you to join the fight Birdramon," Sora exclaimed as she and Yamato hopped onto the roof.

"Birdramon digivolve to… Garudamon!"

Garudamon took to the sky, flying straight towards Miyako and Aquilamon. The duo was still being hounded by a group of Devidramon. Aquilamon speed and agility gave him an advantage. The bird Digimon weaved through the gaps in the steel structure of the Observation tower, preventing the enemy from getting close.

"Shadow Wing!"

Garudamon's attack blazed through the Devidramons, causing them to break off their pursuit of Aquilamon. Aquilamon quickly turned around and charged.

"Glide Horn!"

Digimon were sent flying as Aquilamon plowed through them. He flew down towards Yamato and Sora's position. Miyako hopped off his back, joining her seniors on the roof.

"Good job Aquilamon!" Miyako congratulated as the bird Digimon went back to assist Garudamon.

Pinochimon silently cursed as MetalGarurumon avoided another one of his attacks. He had no idea that the Chosen Children had regain the ability to digivolve to their most powerful forms. LadyDevimon had assured them that the Children would be easy targets once separated. A metallic Ultimate level Digimon did not count as easy in Pinochimon's books.

"Giga Missile!"

Pinochimon yelped as the giant projectile sailed towards him. He quickly strafed sideways. The missile shot past him and exploded. 'Too close' Pinochimon thought. MetalGarurumon was slowly gaining the advantage. Pinochimon needed to turn the fight into his favour.

The wooden Digimon tighten the grip around his hammer. With a loud cry, he started swinging his weapon rapidly. A volley of bullets fired towards MetalGarurumon with each swing. However, the target made no attempt to evade the attack.

"Freeze Bomber!"

Missle ports opened across MetalGarurumon's body. A barrage of missiles shot out, each one headed towards a bullet. Explosions rocked the sky as the various projectiles collided. Smoke filled the sky as a result, limiting Pinochimon's view. Seizing the advantage, MetalGarurumon dashed towards Pinochimon tackling him out of the air.

"Cocytus Breath!"

MetalGarurumon released a blast of cold air at point black range. Pinochimon yelped as his body was frozen neck down. Unable to maintain his flight, Pinochimon fell out of the sky and landed on the roof with a loud thud. MetalGarurumon landed on top of him, placing his metal paw right on his face.

Yamato and Sora watched hand in hand as Garudamon and Aquilamon mopped up the remaining Devidramon around the tower. Miyako stood further in front, jumping and shouting taunts every time her partner turned a Devidramon into digital bits. A loud thud attracted the attention of the three teenagers. They turned to see MetalGarurumon standing with a chunk of ice. Muffled sounds of protest came from under the metal Digimon's paw.

"Shut up! Or I'll freeze your head as well," he growled. Pinochimon immediately became quiet.

"Let's see if we can get some answer out of him," Yamato said as he walked over.

* * *

Five minutes and a couple of threats later, Pinochimon was spilling information like a leaking faucet.

"Our Master wanted to conquer both the Real World and the Digital World. The only threats to his plans are you and your Digimon," Pinochimon said, explaining the motives of his allies.

"What about appearances of Digimon all over the city?" Sora asked.

"LadyDevimon's idea. She leads us," the mostly frozen Digimon replied, "she wanted to split you up. Make easier targets for us."

"So there are other Digimon waiting to attack at each location?" Miyako asked. Pinochimon nodded in response.

"Damn it! We are all walking into traps," Yamato cried as he fished his D-terminal out from his pocket. As he attempted to compose a message to warn the others, his inbox notification chimed. The blond quickly opened the new message and hastily read its content.

"Jou's requesting for help. Apparently they are being pinned down by a stronger version of MetalSedramon," he explained after reading the message.

"I just received a message from Ken," Sora said as she held her D-terminal, "he's requesting for backup as well." Miyako visibly paled as she heard the news.

"Any word from Takeru's group?" Yamato asked. Both girls shook their heads.

"This Takeru, he is the Child of Hope, yes?" Pinochimon suddenly spoke up.

"If you know something, you better spill it right now," Yamato said. MetalGarurumon blew a breath of frost in front of Pinochimon's face to further convince the wooden Digimon. Pinochimon gulped audibly before he finally talked.

"LadyDevimon gave us one additional instruction. We were told to light a flare if we encounter either the Child of Hope or the Child of Light."

"A flare?" Yamato asked. As if to answer his question, a purple flare shot up from the horizon. It tainted the morning sky with a dark glow.

"Takeru!" the blond cried. All other thoughts were gone from his mind. The only thing that mattered at that moment was the safety of his younger brother. Sora grabbed his arm before he could dash off the roof in his haste.

"Hold it!" she shouted. Her voice, coupled with her firm grip, knocked Yamato back into his senses. "If what Pinochimon said is true, Takeru and the others would be facing a much larger opposition. We will need the help of the others," Sora continued.

"Yeah. You're right," Yamato agreed, "the faster we can get the others the faster we can save Takeru. You two heard over to the industrial district. I'll head over to the harbor to help Taichi." The two girls nodded.

"What about me?" Pinochimon said.

"Get rid of him," Yamato told MetalGarurumon. The metal Digimon froze the wooden puppet's head before shattering the ice prison into a million pieces.

"Good riddance," MetalGarurumon said.


	13. Calvary

**Late Update I know. I have been busy doing other stuff.**

**Disclaimer - I in no way own Digimon**

* * *

Chapter 12 - Calvary

Takeru silently cursed as the Bakemon slowly closed in on his group. AlturKabuterimon, Angewomon and HolyAngemon stood around their human partners. The three Perfect Digimon were keeping the Bakemon at bay with their attacks. However the ghost Digimon just kept coming.

"This is going nowhere!" HolyAngemon complained as he sliced another Bakemon to bits with his sword. The angel Digimon took to the sky.

"Heaven's Gate!"

MetalEtemon watched as his troops were sucked into the portal. He grabbed hold of one of the metal supports on the stage, preventing himself from being drawn into the gate.

"This is bad for ratings!" the metal Digimon said as he hugged the metal pole. His forces were getting smaller by the second. MetalEtemon decided to take action. He let go of the pole and dashed towards HolyAngemon, who was busy maintaining the gate.

AlturKabuterimon and Angewomon quickly moved to intercept him, but MetalEtemon was much more agile. The metal monkey easily slid under AlturKabuterimon, surprising the large insect. Angewomon tried to stop him using her arrows, but the white projectiles simply bounced off MetalEtemon's body.

"Out of my way!" MetalEtemon shouted as he punched Angewomon, sending her flying aside. He pounced on HolyAngemon, forcing the angel to defend himself. The gate closed as HolyAngemon deflected the attack with his sword.

The Bakemon quickly regroup and surrounded the three teenagers. Takeru, Hikari and Koushiro watched as the ghost slowly inched closer. AlturKabuterimon was swarmed by Bakemon while HolyAngemon and Angewomon were locked in combat with MetalEtemon, leaving the three humans open.

"Halt!"

A female voice echoed across the courtyard. Takeru watched with surprise as the Bakemon quickly halted their attack and reorganized themselves on the other side of the courtyard. Even MetalEtemon broke off his fight and scrambled over to join his troops. The other Digimon seized the opportunity to regroup with their partners.

The teenagers and their Digimon watched as the Bakemon parted, allowing another Digimon to walk forward. Angewomon hissed as she recognized the new Digimon.

"LadyDevimon!" the angel women said.

"Angewomon!" LadyDevimon spat, "today will be the day of your demise. My newest weapon will defeat you once and for all." She stepped aside, revealing the boy standing behind her. The three teenager's eyes widened when they recognize the boy.

"Phoenix?!" Takeru asked.

"You know the boy?" LadyDevimon said, her voiced filled with slight amusement, "too bad he is no longer himself anymore."

"What have you done to him?" Hikari asked.

"Let's just say that the boy you know as Phoenix is no longer in control of this body," 'Phoenix' finally spoke up. His voice sent a chill down Takeru's spine. It was dark and moody, unlike his original voice.

"Enough talk!" LadyDevimon interrupted. She turned to 'Phoenix'. "You know what you have to do," she said to the boy, "Use this if you like." She signaled with her claw. A Bakemon appeared beside her carrying a cage in his hands. Inside the cage was a wolf Digimon.

"Lupusmon," Takeru muttered. The wolf Digimon was barely moving. His body was covered in busies. 'Phoenix' walked towards the cage. His hand started to emit a dark aura. The boy touched Lupusmon, his eyes glowing. The dark energy flowed from 'Phoenix' hand into the wolf Digimon. Lupusmon started growing in size. His form became much more savage as the energy converted him. The cage soon became too small and Lupusmon easily shattered it with his growing mass.

The Bakemon stepped back, allowing the newly transformed Digimon room. Lupusmon now stood as tall as AlturKabuterimon. He now had claws and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Lupusmon growled savagely as he eyed up the other Digimon.

"Takeru! Get out of here!" HolyAngemon shouted as Lupusmon charged at them. Takeru grabbed Hikari's hand and dashed out of the courtyard The now giant wolf Digimon easily swatted the two angel Digimon aside as he rushed towards the three teenagers. AlturKabuterimon braced himself as Lupusmon tackled him. The beetle Digimon grabbed Lupusmon tightly in an attempt to buy Takeru and the others time.

"Don't let them escape!" LadyDevimon ordered her forces. The various Digimon rushed forward. MetalEtemon attacked HolyAngemon while LadyDevimon fought with her old enemy Angewomon. AlturKabuterimon and Lupusmon were still locked together.

'Phoenix' quickly chased after the fleeing teenagers, running at a speed faster than an average boy. The Bakemon quickly encircled around their target, allowing 'Phoenix' to catch up. The boy launched a blast of dark energy at the trio. Takeru tackled Hikari, pushing both of them to the ground and avoiding the blast.

"Are you okay?" Takeru asked Hikari as he picked himself off the ground.

"I'm fine," she replied, "where's Koushiro?" The two of them quickly scanned their surroundings.

"Koushiro!" Takeru shouted as he spotted the older teen.

Koushiro was not as lucky as his two other companions. The blast hit the ground just beside the genius, sending him flying. Koushiro landed on his head, the blow knocking him out cold. Takeru tried to get up to help his friend, but stopped when a shadow loomed over him. 'Phoenix' stood over Takeru and Hikari, his hands glowing with a black aura.

"End of the line," the boy remarked. His hand glowed darker as he raised it above his head.

The last thing Takeru saw was a blinding white light.

* * *

Taichi and Jou peeked out of their hiding spot behind a pile of crates. WarGreymon was being chased around the port by GigaSedramon. The sea Digimon had WarGreymon on the ropes. WarGreymon was struggling to avoid GigaSeadramon's various attacks.

"WarGreymon can't keep that up forever," Taichi said, "where's Zudomon and Submarimon?"

"They are both still occupied," Jou answered. Zudomon stood further down at the edge of the port. MarineDevimon was attempting to climb to the surface, but his attempts were hindered by Zudomon's hammer. Iori and Submarimon were still being chased by Hangyomon underwater. Occasionally, the submarine Digimon would surface and try to reach the shore. But the number of Hangyomon forced him to dive back down each time.

A loud crash caught both teenagers attention. They saw WarGreymon lying among a pile of rubble. GigaSeadramon stood over him.

"Finally! My chance for revenge!"Giga Seadramon cried as he charged up his main gun.

"WarGreymon!" Taichi shouted. He started running towards his Digimon partner, but Jou held him back.

"Let go!" Taichi shouted. He tried to shake Jou off, but the elder teen's grip was stronger. A giant boom turned both teenager's attention back to WarGreymon and GigaSedramon. A huge smoke cloud was obscuring their view.

GigaSedramon was the first to come into view as the smoke cleared. His metal armor was colored slightly blue. The serpent Digimon was shaking off pieces of ice that had formed around his body.

"What is this?" GigaSedramon asked. He looked down at the crater WarGreymon was laying in moments ago. The smoke finally cleared revealing a blue metal Digimon standing beside WarGreymon.

"MetalGarurumon?" Jou asked, "where did…"

"I came as fast as I could," Yamato said as he appeared beside him. "I know why the Digimon are here," he added.

"Later," Taichi said, "first we need to deal with an old friend."

* * *

Daisuke ducked as another volley of cannon fire landed around him. Ken and Mimi hid beside him.

"We can't stay here!" Daisuke shouted to the other two as another burst of fire erupted around them.

"They have us pinned down!" Ken shouted back. Lilymon and Imperialdramon were also hiding behind the same brick wall. Both Digimon could not risk poking their head out without being blasted to pieces.

"You can't hide forever!" Chaosdramon shouted as he fired another round of his cannons. His Tankmon forces followed suit, blasting the brick wall again.

"We are so doomed," Mimi whined.

"If only we can get a clear shot," Daisuke mused.

The sound of burning and screaming caught the trio's attention. The three of them sneaked a glance at the attacking Digimon. Most of the Tankmon were screaming as they were covered in flames. The fire burned through their ranks turning some of them into digital bits. Chaosdramon shielded himself from the fire with his arms.

"What is this?" Chaosdramon asked. He looked at the sky and noticed two Digimon flying above. Daisuke looked up and noticed them too.

"Garudamon! Aquilamon!" he shouted. The two Digimon landed beside Lilymon and Imperialdramon. Sora and Miyako leapt of their partners back and ran towards the Daisuke and the others.

"Man, am I glad to see you two," Mimi cried as she hugged the two girls.

"Thanks Mimi. But we have work to do," Sora said.

"You managed to discover something?" Ken asked.

"We did. I'd fill you in, but it looks like you have a problem that needs to be addressed," Sora answered. Chaosdramon and the remaining Tankmon were quickly recovering from the surprise attack and regrouping.

"Time to kick some metallic ass!" Daisuke exclaimed.

* * *

**Thanks to those of you who take the time to read and review this story. I'd give you all a cookie if I could.**


	14. Release

**I have finally updated after almost forever! I apologize as I have been busy.**

* * *

Chapter 13 - Release

Phoenix felt pain as he watched events unfold outside from his prison. He watch with horror as Lupusmon was corrupted with his own hands. He punched the window in frustration in order to vent his feelings.

"Will you stop doing that?" the shadow figure scolded as he materialized beside Phoenix, "I'm trying to do something here." Phoenix watched as LadyDevimon shouted orders. He watch himself dash across the courtyard chasing after Koushiro, Takeru and Hiakri.

The boy snapped when he saw himself launched an attack that barely missed the three teenagers. He launched a fist towards the shadow, but the dark being easily dodged out of the way. Phoenix ended up striking the wall of his prison instead.

"Seriously?" the shadow taunted as he turned towards Phoenix, "did you really think that…" He became silent when he noticed Phoenix's fist. The boy's punch had cracked the wall. Phoenix blinked as he stared at his fist. At first he assumed the light came from the crack in the wall. But the boy soon realized that his fist was actually glowing.

Phoenix glanced between his glowing fist and the wall, trying to make sense of what just happened. Throwing all caution into the wind, Phoenix decided to hit the wall again. He focused his energy into the strike, his fist glowing brighter as he did so. The boy grunted as he struck the wall.

The shadow figure watched with a mixture of horror and surprise as the crack on the wall started to grow. The crack slowly stretched out across the prison wall, causing it to collapse around the two.

"How did you..?" the shadow being stammered in shock. Phoenix just stared at his hand. The energy that flowed through him felt different, unlike those that he normally channeled. It felt warmer and carried the potential of life.

"You broke through the prison," the shadow figure muttered, turning Phoenix attention back to his surroundings. The boy tackled the shadow to the ground, the victim screaming in the process as the light energy burned him.

The two fighters traded blows. The shadows attacks sapped Phoenix's strength. The boy slowly became weaker as the scuffle continued. With a great effort, Phoenix broke off the struggle. His breaths were heavy. The shadow still looked as strong as ever.

"Get out of my body," Phoenix said between ragged breaths.

"I doubt you have the strength to force me," the shadow replied, "you are barely even standing." The boy realized he was right as he fell on all fours. Breathing was slowly becoming difficult for him. The shadow walked up towards him. He grabbed Phoenix by the neck and lifted the boy up. Phoenix started chocking as the shadow's actions made it even harder for him to breathe.

"Thanks to your actions, I guess I am left with no choice," the shadow said as he tightened his grip around the boy's neck.

Phoenix struggled against his grip. The shadow was slowly draining his remaining energy away. He felt his vision slowly fading away. In a last ditch effort, Phoenix poured all his remaining energy into his hands. He grabbed the shadow by the wrist as his hands glowed even brighter. Light shot out, blinding the two of them.

As Phoenix's vision slowly returned, he found himself lying face down on the ground. The boy looked around. The shadow figure lay beside him, his form fading slowly.

"How…did you manage…" the shadow softly muttered. Phoenix barely heard his voice as he got to his feet.

"You win… for now," the shadow admitted as he dissipated into a black cloud. A warm feeling flowed through Phoenix's body as he watched the cloud curl around his feet.

The last thing the boy saw before his vision changed was the cloud curling around his feet.

* * *

Fire and ice explosions rocked through the sky as the three Ultimate level Digimon battled it out in the sky. GigaSedramon easily countered the various attacks that WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon.

"We can't beat him head on," MetalGarurumon said to WarGreymon as Gigasedramon countered his attack yet again.

"A diversionary attack?" WarGreymon suggested. MetalGarurumon nodded. The duo quickly spilt up. MetalGarurumon moved forward to attract GigaSedramon's attention. MetalGarurumon launched a volley of missiles at GigaSedramon, who countered the attack with his own volley.

The projectiles collided, blanketing the sky with with smoke. GigaSedramon growled as the smoke blocked his vision. He tried to blow it away with his tail, but the cloud was too thick. The sea Digimon tried to see through by leaning forward.

As GigaSedramon got closer, WarGreymon attacked from inside the smoke. GigaSedramon instinctively jumped back. WarGreymon seized the opportunity, attacking the sea dragon right in the mouth. GigaSedramon screamed as WarGreymon easily tore through his unprotected mouth. Taichi, Yamato and Jou watched from the sidelines.

"This feels way too familiar," Taichi commented as he watched his partner tear GigaSedramon into digital pieces.

"Agreed," Yamato said. MetalGarurumon started flying around, easily dealing with the remaining Digimon. Zudomon climbed out of the water and joined up with the three teenage boys. Submarimon followed suit, with a rather dizzy Iori climbing out of the cockpit.

"Are you alright?" Jou asked as Iori stumbled to join the group.

"I had to make a few tricky maneuvers back there," Submarinemon explained as he dedigivolved.

"Let's get moving!" Yamato said as he ran towards MetalGarurumon, "I'll explain along the way."

* * *

"Imperialdramon mode change! Fighter Mode!"

The now humanoid Digimon charged forward and tackled Chaosdramon, sending both of them flying into a warehouse. Chaos erupted as the Tankmon fired upon Garudamon, Lilymon and Aquilamon. The three Digimon retaliated with their attacks. Daisuke ducked behind cover, the others following his example.

Imperialdramon ducked as Chaosdramon fired his cannons at point black range. The shot barely passed over his head. Chaosdramon headbutted Imperialdramon, causing the dragon Digimon to become unbalanced. Taking advantage, Chaosdramon wrestled Impreialdramon to the ground. The metal Digimon repeatedly punched the grounded Imperialdramon.

"Time to die!" Chaosdramon shouted, "!" The cannons on his back started to glow brightly.

A beam of energy shot out from Imperialdramon's chest. Chaosdramon screamed as he was sent flying into the sky. Imperidramon flew up into the sky after him. Clasping his hands together, Imperialdramon strike Chaosdramon. The red Digimon cried out as he was sent back down to Earth.

"Positron Laser!"

Imperialdramon fired his arm cannon. His attack destroyed Chaosdramon instantly. The Tankmon, upon seeing Chaosdramon's demise, decided that it was much wiser to retreat. The five teenagers and their Digimon partners watched as they ran for their lives, leaving only dust behind.

"Alright! We got them!" Daisuke cheered. He started to perform a victory dance. Miyako grabbed the boy by the collar and dragged him to their Digimon partners.

"Now's not the time. We still have work to do!" she said.

"Where are we going? Ken asked as he watched Daisuke get dragged into the group.

"Takeru's group in trouble. I'll explain more on the way," Sora said as she climbed atop Garudamon. The others followed suit and took to the sky.

* * *

Takeru's vision slowly returned as he slowly got to his feet. Beneath him, Hikari slowly got up as well.

"I'm fine," she assured Takeru. The two teens surveyed their surroundings. The Digimon stumbled around, apparently blinded by the same flash of light. Lupusmon had returned to his original form, his body lying beside a dizzy Tentomon. Patamon and Tailmon, having reverted back to normal, stumbled about trying to regain their sense of direction. While Hikari moved to wake Koushiro from his state of unconsciousness, Takeru turned his attention to Phoenix.

The boy was on all fours. His breaths were ragged. As Takeru approached the boy, he thought he saw smoke emitting from Phoenix's shirt.

"Phoenix?" he asked. The boy responded by standing straight. The object around his neck glowed slightly.

"It's me… Dad," Phoenix replied. He added the last word hesitantly. His voice was back to normal, all trace of his previous accent gone.

"Fool! What are you doing? Destroy him already!" LadyDevimon shouted. Around her, MetalEtemon and the Bakemon were slowly recovering.

"Sorry," Phoenix replied, "But I don't take orders from you." He glared back at the devil Digimon. LadyDevimon's eyes widen in shock as realization dawned on her.

"Impossible! You couldn't have defeated him. He was a spirit of darkness!" LadyDevimon cried out.

"And now he is nothing but shadows and dust. Which is what you will be when I'm done with you!" the boy retorted. Phoenix's gaze turned towards his partner. Lupusmon had already awakened. Phoenix activated his Digivice. He felt power flowing through his body, especially from the crest around his neck.

A bright flash of light surrounded Lupusmon. The Bakemon reared back in a mix of fear an awe as Lupusmon's new form emerged. He looked like a large werewolf, similar to the shape he had when he was corrupted by darkness energy. The dark fur that covered his body was completely replaced with metal.

The detail that scared the Bakemon the most was a skull etched on his metal shoulder.

* * *

**Review/Favourite appreciated :D**


	15. Metallic

**Update! Hope you like it.**

* * *

Chapter 14 - Metallic

Over the years, Koushiro had observed and documented all kinds of Digimon. Every once in a while something new would pop out in the Digital World. Seeing a new Digimon appear before him exited him greatly. The young genius took out his laptop and begun scanning Lupusmon's new form.

"Interesting…" Koushiro muttered as he read the data from his laptop. Hikari and Takeru gathered behind him.

"What is?" Takeru asked. Hikari read some of the details out loud.

"MechLupusmon…Perfect… Virus"

"Those are the statistics of Phoenix's Digimon," Koushiro explained, "most of the details seem standard, except for one thing." He pointed to a section on the screen.

"Unlike other Digimon, MechLupusmon's digital structure appears to be much more malleable," the genius explained, "It may be possible for it to be manipulated."

"I guess we are going to find out," Takeru said as he pointed to where Phoenix was standing. The boy stood beside his partner, cheering him on as he smashed away at the Bakemon line.

LadyDevimon watched MechLupusmon tear his way through the Bakemon ranks. Phoenix had managed to regain control of his body. Furthermore, the boy had managed to utilize the power of her master's crest to further digivolve his Digimon. The sudden change of events placed her plan in jeopardy.

"What do we do now?" MetalEtemon asked, "The metal brute is wrecking through our forces."

"Stop him. I have to go and inform our Master," LadyDevimon replied. Using her power, she opened a portal to the Digital World and stepped through it. MetalEtemon watched as the portal closed behind her.

"Let's hope I get backup from the other three," he muttered as he moved to follow his orders.

MechLupusmon swatted another group of Bakemon. His metal skin combined with his bulk made it difficult for the smaller Bakemon to defeat him. As he defeated the last ghost Digimon, MetalEtemon appeared in front of him.

"Let's see how your metal body stands up to mine, Wolfy," the metal monkey challenged. The two metal Digimon charged at each other, trading blows. Noise filled the courtyard as their fists hammered at each other's metal bodies.

"The two of them are evenly matched," Koushiro observed from a distance. "You need to do something!" he shouted to Phoenix. The boy activated his Digivice.

"Ability load! NeoDevimon! Phantomon!" Phoenix shouted. His Digivice glowed, transforming MechLupusmon. His left hand transformed, turning into an exact replica of NeoDevimon's claw. A metal scythe formed and equipped itself on his right arm.

"Amazing!" Koushiro exclaimed, "it seems MechLupusmon can not only gain the abilities of a Digimon, but their appearance as well."

MechLupusmon's enhanced form gave MetalEtemon a slight moment of pause. The wolf Digimon took advantage, launching his scythe at his opponent. MetalEtemon barely leaped out-of-the-way, the scythe leaving a cut at his side.

"You'll pay for that!" MetalEtemon cried. He rushed towards MechLupusmon, bandishing his fists. His target leapt backwards to dodge his attack. Wings similar to NeoDevimon spawned on MechLupusmon's back, allowing him to fly up into the air.

"That's cheating!" MetalEtemon complained. He tried to catch MechLupusmon by jumping, but the wolf Digimon hovered out of reach. MechLupusmon's claw arm shot out, catching MetalEtemon and pinning him against the ground. MechLupusmon repeatedly slammed MetalEtemon on the ground, until a large crater formed in the center of the courtyard. A dazed MetalEtemon lay inside the crater. MechLupusmon lowered himself to the ground.

"We may have the type of body," he said as he stood over the Ultimate level Digimon, "but I'm better." In one fluid motion, the wolf Digimon plunged his claw deep into MetalEtemon's chest.

"This isn't over!" MetalEtemon shouted, "I'll return! Just like last time."

Phoenix walked to the edge of the crater. "Not this time," the boy said as he readied his Digivice. MechLupusmon unleashed a pulse of energy from his claw, delivering the killing blow to MetalEtemon. The Ulitmate level Digimon screamed as his body broke into pieces, only to be absorbed into Phoenix's Digivice.

"You won't be able to harm anyone ever again," Phoenix muttered as a shadow passed overhead.

* * *

LadyDevimon opened the door an entered her master's private quarters. She found him seating on a chair, his eyes closed.

"Have you completed the task I have given you," the Master asked, his eyes remained closed.

"There were…complications," LadyDevimon answered, "they still live." Her master's eyes snapped open.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice getting darker. "I gave you the means to accomplish your task, yet you failed."

"The boy managed to use the crest against us. Additionally, it seems that our enemies have regain their Perfect and Ultimate forms," LadyDevimon explained. The Master slammed his fist on the chair.

"I should kill you for your incompetence, but I still need you talents," he said as he stood up. "Speed up the construction. I want the device ready as soon as possible. No doubt the humans and their Digimon will come, sooner or later."

LadyDevimon bowed and turned to left the room. Just as she reached the door, her master spoke out.

"Listen well LadyDevimon. Don't fail me again. The consequences will be dire if you do."

* * *

Phoenix watched as Taichi and Yamato's group landed in the courtyard. The two older brothers rushed towards their younger siblings. Phoenix slightly smiled as he watched them.

"Phoenix!" Lupusmon shouted as he leapt into the boy's arms. Phoenix chuckled as he hugged his Digimon.

"I missed you too, buddy," the boy said.

"Okay can someone explain to me what happened here?" Daisuke asked after Tachi and Yamato finally snapped out of older sibling mode.

Takeru described to the others LadyDevimon's plan. After he was done, Phoenix gave an account of his events. Everyone remained silent after the boy finished his tale. Taichi was the first to speak up.

"You've been through one hell of an adventure kid. It's clear that something big is afoot here," he said. "Can you get in contact with Gennai?" he asked Koushiro. The genius nodded.

"I just need a power point. My laptop's low on power," Koushiro said.

"There should be one somewhere around here. We should spread out and search," Ken suggested. Everybody split up started looking around the area.

Phoenix sat on the floor exhausted. He was content to let the others do the searching. As Phoenix rested his head in his hands, he felt a shadow loom over him. Looking up, he realized it was Hikari.

"I'm guessing you haven't had anything to eat in a while. So take this," she said as she placed an energy bar in Phoenix's hand. "I got it from Jou. He carries a few with him for emergencies," Hikari explained. Realizing that he hadn't eaten anything for over half a day, Phoenix gobbled down the energy bar.

"Thanks," Phoenix said as he finished his snack. Hikari smiled in response.

"It's a parent's duty to look after their child, is it not?" she said. Phoenix laughed.

"I guess so," the boy said as Taichi shouted across the courtyard, asking everyone to gather.

Thirteen heads crowded around Koushiro's laptop as Gennai's face appeared on the screen. Taichi quickly brought Gennai up to speed.

"So LadyDevimon is the one behind the attacks?" Gennai asked.

"Yes. She was the one leading the forces in the real world," Phoenix confirmed, "But she was serving a higher figure and he's still out there. My guess is the Digital World."

"We need to find him," Taichi said, "Do you have any leads Gennai?" The old man nodded.

"After you contacted me earlier today, I did some digging," Gennai replied, "There are some strange readings coming from the south of the main continent. I'll send you the coordinates."

"Thanks Gennai," Taichi said as he closed the communication channel.

"Looks like we got our destination," he said as he turned to the others.


	16. Wolf vs Devil

Chapter 15 - Wolf vs Devil

Nanomon looked up from his work as he heard someone enter his lab.

"Master! How may I be of service?" he asked as the cloaked figure walked towards him. LadyDevimon followed behind.

"Is the device ready?" the Master asked.

"Construction is complete. It just needs to gather enough energy. That would take a couple of days," Nanomon answered.

"I want it ready by the end of the day Nanomon," the Master said.

"But Master…"

"Do it Nanomon! The DigiDestined just defeated four of my strongest agents," the Master cut him off, "either you get the device completed,

"Yes sir," Nanomon replied as he quickly went to work.

"LadyDevimon, take the army and stall the DigiDestined," the Master instructed.

"But Master. Their Digimon have access to their strongest forms," LadyDevimon said "Even all of our remaining forces would not be able to stop them."

"Which is why I am giving you this," the Master said as he dropped a black pearl into LadyDevimon hands. "Use it wisely. It will give you all the power you need."

LadyDevimon looked at the pearl in her hands. She bowed down.

"Thank you, Master."

* * *

Taichi looked through his monocular. The coordinates that Gennai had provided led them to a bare rock wall. The others had spread out to search the surrounding area. Taichi climbed down from his perch atop of a tree. Yamato was waiting for him at the bottom.

"Find anything?" he asked. Taichi shook his head.

"I'm starting to think this is a false lead," the teen said.

One by one the others returned from their search. Each of them came back empty. Soon, everyone had returned except Phoenix. The boy had spent the last few minutes staring at the rock wall for some time.

"I'll go check on him," Takeru said as he made his way towards Phoenix.

"None of the others have discovered anything," Takeru said to Phoenix.

"There is nothing to be found with your eyes," the boy replied, "But I feel something here."

The others gathered behind the duo, listening to their conversation. Hikari walked towards the wall and placed her palm on the wall. She jumped back in surprise a few seconds later.

"That can't be right," Hikari muttered.

"What is it?" Taichi asked, slightly concerned.

"When I touched the wall, it felt like I was back at the Dark Ocean," she said. Following her example, Ken touched the wall as well.

"Hikari's right," he said as he removed his hand.

"Iori, Armadimon. How about some drill power?" Taichi asked.

"Leave it to us," Iori said as he and Armadimon stepped forward. Armadimon digivolved into Digmon and immediately began working on the wall. The wall crumbled instantly, revealing a long pitch-black tunnel.

"Who wants to go into the dark creepy tunnel first?" Daisuke jokingly asked. Just as Miyako was about to berate him, multiple Devidramon and Vilemon flew out of the tunnel. Everyone instinctively ducked for cover as the Digimon flew past them. Digmon however was much taller. His height resulted in him getting caught in the hands of a Devidramon and lifted into the sky.

"Digmon!" Iori cried as he watched his partner get carried away.

"Hang on Digmon! We're coming!" V-mon shouted as he and the other Digimon chased after Digmon.

"It's not like I can go anywhere!" Digmon shouted back as he attempted to struggle free. V-mon and the others digivolved. Like a well-oiled machine, the team automatically split into two groups. One distracted enemy while the other attempted to rescue Digmon.

"Something feels off," Jou said as he and the other DigiDestined took cover among the rubble from the rock wall.

"What do you mean?" Mimi asked. Their Digimon were making short work of the Vilemon and Devidramon thanks to the more powerful Perfect forms.

"Usually when we get into this kind of fights, some big bad Digimon would pop out and try to kill us," Jou answered. A dark shadow loomed over the group as he said those words.

"You had to open your mouth," Daisuke chided.

* * *

An alarm sounded throughout the lab accompanied by flashing lights.

"Report!" LadyDevimon ordered. Nanomon moved to a console and begin sweeping through security footage.

"Sensors show a breach in the perimeter," Nanomon reported.

"Who are the intruders?" LadyDevimon asked. The Master cut Nanomon off before he could answer.

"Who else could it be?" the Master said. "Get the device ready Nanomon. LadyDevimon, take our remaining forces and kill those annoying brats," he commanded.

* * *

"Move!" Taichi shouted as the gang scrambled for cover. LadyDevimon fired away, scattering the Digidestined with her attacks. The Digimon reacted quickly. They attacked LadyDevimon, trying to draw her attention away from their partners.

With their combined strength, the Digimon easily beat LadyDevimon. AlturKabuterimon pinned her down using his weight.

"Why are you here LadyDevimon?" he asked.

"Stopping you," she replied, "I won't fail my master a second time." She freed one of her hands from AlturKabuterimon grasp. A black pearl sat in the middle of her palm. LadyDevimon clenched her fist, crushing the pearl into dust.

A blast of energy knocked all the Digimon back. Phoenix watched as some of them dedigivoved back to their child forms. Only the Ultimate level WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon, the two Angemon and MechLupusmon.

"What happened?" Mimi asked as she ran towards Palmon. The others did the same as well, checking up on their weakened Digimon.

"I feel as if my strength was stolen. I couldn't hold on. I'm sorry Daisuke," V-mon apologized.

"Its fine," Daisuke assured him. "But where did all the energy go?" he asked.

"I'm guessing it went to her," Iori said pointing to LadyDevimon. The devil Digimon was dusting herself off the ground, her body looking fresh despite the earlier bout.

"Great. Now what do we do?" Sora asked. LadyDevimon was now grown bigger, her size easily matching MechLupusmon.

"We have another problem," Koushiro reported as he looked at his laptop. "I just took a reading of the energy coming out of the cave. It's rising steadily. Whatever is happening down there, it's growing by the second."

Taichi was about to issue an order when Phoenix cut him off. "Leave LadyDevimon to me," he said, "The rest of you get inside the cave." Everybody stared at him.

"We all know LadyDevimon is just a distraction," Phoenix explained, "If we don't go and stop whoever is inside now, we may be too late."

"We can't just let you fight someone that powerful alone!" Hikari protested.

"Relax. I have a plan. Just trust me," Phoenix assured.

"But…"

Takeru placed his hand on Hikari's shoulder. "Have a little faith in him," he urged her. Taichi stepped forward.

"You sure you can take her down?" he asked Phoenix.

"I have an idea. It's a bit of a long shot, but I believe it can work," he answered.

"Kick her ass then," Taichi said," Come on sis."

Hikari let out a sigh. She nodded. "Be careful," she said to Phoenix as she followed her brother into the cave with their Digimon. Yamato and Takeru followed them in with their Digimon as well.

"You are not getting inside there!" LadyDevimon shouted as she moved to stop them. But MechLupusmon was faster. He tackled LadyDevimon, pinning her to the ground.

"Not so fast lady. You and I have are going to tango first," MechLupusmon taunted.

"Get a safe distance away. This could get messy," he said the others.

"Phoenix! What are you doing?" Koushiro asked.

"If I can transfer enough of my energy into MechLupusmon he might be able to defeat LadyDevimon," Phoenix explained. "It's best that you get somewhere safe," the boy said, "This could get ugly."

Koushiro and the others carried their weakened partners starting moving away. Phoenix waited until they were a safe distance away before concentrating. He wasn't exaggerating when he said that things could get ugly. Calling his plan a long shot was an understatement. The energy difference between an Ultimate and a Perfect is significant. Phoenix was worried that his own energy would not be strong enough, but he did not have time to worry about the risks. Not with his future at stake.

MechLupusmon grunted as LadyDevimon blasted him right in the face, sending him flying and landing beside Phoenix. He got up and dusted himself off as LadyDevimon did the same.

"You better kick start your plan now Phoenix. I can't hold out against her forever," MechLupusmon complained.

"Just hold out for a bit more," Phoenix said as he started to concentrate. MechLupusmon rushed forward an attempted to punch LadyDevimon, but she easily blocked the attack. Grabbing MechLupusmon by the head, she slammed the metal Digimon into the ground.

Phoenix channeled his energy into his palm before releasing it into his Digivice. The device started glowing as it activated. Likewise MechLupusmon started glowing as Phoenix's energy flowed through him.

"Finish her quickly!" Phoenix shouted to his partner. His voice was slightly strained as he focused on channeling. In one quick motion, MechLupusmon got up and punched LadyDevimon square in the face. The two Digimon traded blows. The sound of their scuffle echoed throughout the area.

Beads of sweat started flowing down Phoenix forehead as he watched the fight play out. Maintaining the power boost for MechLupusmon was slowly taking its toll on his body. Even with the boost, LadyDevimon still had a slight advantage in the fight thanks to experience.

Phoenix sank to his knees as the two Digimon continued fighting. The slow increase in power was gradually allowing MechLupusmon to gain the upper hand. Phoenix reached inside his shirt and grabbed the trinket hanging around his neck. He pictured the images in his mind, drawing strength from his memories.

"Hurry…" Phoenix said his voice weak and dry.

MechLupusmon scratched LadyDevimon across the face. LadyDevimon covered her eyes and stepped back, her vision blinded temporally. MechLupusmon took advantage of her unguarded state, delivering a clawed punch straight into LadyDevimon's gut.

LadyDevimon sank to her knees. Digital bits where slowly escaping from her wounds.

"No!" she cried weakly, "I won't be defeated that easily." She raised her hand and launched a weak attack against MechLupusmon. The attack bounced harmlessly off his metal body.

"It's over," MechLupusmon said. He placed his palms together and began generating dark energy between them.

"Dark Pulse!"

The attack drove straight into LadyDevimon's chest, tearing her apart from the inside. LadyDevimon screamed as she disintegrated into digital bits. Phoenix collapsed face first into the ground. He looked as if he had just run a marathon. Phoenix weakly activated his digivice, absorbing LadyDevimon's remains as it scattered into the air.

MechLupusmon made his way over to Phoenix. He carefully propped his partner against the wall. The boy's face was pale and his breathes heavy.

"Take it easier," MechLupusmon said, "We did it. It's over."

The sounds of explosions came out from the cave, startling the duo. Phoenix slowly got to his feet.

"Not yet," he said, as he slowly limped towards the cave entrance.

* * *

A/N: I have finally updated after so long. Steam's summer sale and the Overlord franchise drew me away for a while. This story is drawing to a close. Only a couple more chapters.


	17. From another time

Chapter 16 - From another time

Hikari had never been found of rock tunnels. This was no exception. The tunnel was high enough for even the biggest Digimon. The group moved slowly due to the dim light. WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon lead the way into the tunnel, while the two Angemon flew slightly behind them. Their human partners followed behind them, careful to not trip in the darkness.

The group walked in silence until Taichi's D-terminal beeped. Taichi fished the device out of his pocket and flipped the lid open. The screen lit up as Koushiro's voice echoed through the tunnel.

"Hello? Taichi? Can you hear me?"

"Koushiro? Is that you?" Taichi asked.

"Yep. We managed to get back to the Real World. I set up a communication line from my laptop. Figured you needed the assistance," Koushiro said.

Thanks a lot Koushiro," Taichi said, "Any extra information you can tell us?"

"The power source is located further down the tunnel. Whoever or whatever is behind this is bound to be there," Koushiro reported.

"Right. We're reaching the end of the tunnel," Taichi replied.

The tunnel opened up into a huge room the size of a stadium. At the center of the room, electronic equipment were wired together.

"Any bets on those machines being our energy source?" Yamato asked as he pointed at the equipment.

Takeru kneeled down an examined the floor of the room. "The rock been cut and smoothed out," he noted, "someone created this room."

"He must have a huge ass then," Taichi said. "The energy is coming from this room right?" he asked Koushiro.

"Yes," Koushiro answered, "You have to find some way to stop it."

"We can always just smash it to pieces if all else fails," Taichi joked as they made their way towards the center.

It took them almost five whole minutes to reach the center. The devices were much taller up close, each one almost twice the height of an average human. The cables connecting them covered almost every inch of the surrounding floor.

"Anybody see a control panel or something?" Hikari asked.

"It should most likely be on that," Takeru said pointing at the largest device in the center. The device was bigger than the rest. He started making his way towards the device but a force field activated when he got closer, sealing off all access.

"Now, now. I can't have you messing with things now," a voice said. Everyone watched as a cloaked figure walked out from behind one of the devices.

"Who are you?" Taichi asked.

"Who I am is of no importance," the person gloated, "for soon I will become the master of all!"

The four teens looked at each other, wondering if they should take the figure seriously. It wasn't the first time they had seen someone boasting about world domination, and it was usually from someone bigger.

"It seems that you don't believe me one bit," the figure said as he pulled out a device from inside his cloak. "How about after I do this?" he said as he activated the device. An aura surrounded all four Digimon.

"Huh?" WarGreymon muttered. The aura was restricting their movements.

"Digimon!" the figure scoffed, "for creatures with so much power they are fairly easy to manipulate. Watch." He pressed a couple of buttons on the device. The aura around WarGreymon and HolyAngemon became heavier. The two Digimon slowly moved towards each other, WarGreymon brandishing his claws while HolyAngelmon readied his sword.

"Guys?" Taichi asked, "what are you doing?"

"I don't know," WarGreymon said as he took a swipe at HolyAngelmon.

"HolyAngelmon!" Takeru cried. The angel parried with his sword, before he slashed WarGreymon across the chest.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Takeru shouted.

"They can't. I control their actions now," the figure said. He activated his device once more. MetalGarurumon and Angelwomon started moved towards the group.

"Yamato! Get away!" MetalGrurumon shouted as he prepared to fire his missiles.

"You too Hikari!" Angelwomon said as she readied herself to launch an arrow.

Yamato and Hikari moved out of the line of fire. Both of them worried about their Digimon partner. Their worries turn to slight panic as MetalGarurmon and Angelwomon turned to face them.

"Get to cover!" Yamato said. They starting running just as their Digimon fired. Loud noise echoed through the cave as the attacks hit their mark. Smoke filled the room, obscuring everyone's vision.

The dense smoked caused Hikari to cough. As her vision slowly returned, she realized that she was covered by a large shadow. She blinked, slowly recognizing the Digimon that had saved her.

MechLupusmon stood in a defensive pose, having using his body to shield Hikari and Yamato. One of his arms was covered in a thin layer of frost. Angewomon's Celestial Arrow was wedged into his shoulder. Phoenix slipped out of his seating position in MechLupusmon's other hand, landing on his feet in front of the others.

"I guess we made it just in time?" Phoenix asked. His voice was weak and his skin color pale.

"Phoenix!" Takeru and Hikari exclaimed together. Taichi patted the boy on the back.

"Good job kid! I'm glad we didn't misplace our trust with you," he said.

"No time for that now!" Yamato interrupted, "MechLupusmon stop him hurry!" He pointed to the cloaked figure who was slowly recovering from accidentally inhaling the smoke.

MechLupusmon didn't need to be told twice. The metal Digimon rushed forward with such speed that the ice coving his arm shattered. He pulled out the arrow that was stuck on his shoulder and tossed it at the target.

The target panicked as he saw the arrow fly towards him. In his haste to avoid the arrow, he dropped his device. MechLupusmon quickly smashed in with his fist. With the destruction of the device, the aura surrounding the four Digimon disappeared.

"Whew!" WarGreymon said, "I can finally feel my legs."

Phoenix took a closer look at their mastermind. His eyes widen as he slowly recognized his face.

"That can't be…" Phoenix muttered, "Professor B.?"

"What kind of Digimon has such a ridiculous name?" Taichi asked. Everyone game him a blank stare.

"He's not a Digimon, brother," Hikari pointed out, "He's a human like us."

"Really?!" he asked. The three of you knew all along?" They nodded.

"And here I was thinking he was some powerful Digimon," he lamented. Yamato rolled his eyes.

"You know who he is?" Takeru asked, brining the conversation back on track.

"I know of him. Professor Brech was the top research scientist assigned by the world governments to study Digimon," Phoenix answered, "Gennai told me that he made huge technological advancement from his research. But everyone assumed that he perished when a time travel experiment exploded in his lab."

The professor stared at Phoenix before letting out a chuckle.

"It seems I was mistaken about you, child. I thought you were just some kid with power. But it seems I was wrong," he said.

"The governments are a bunch of cowards! I developed ways to contain and control Digimon. Ways to manipulate their strength. We humans could have dominated over the entire Digital World, but my pansy-ass superiors wanted to use it only for containment of troublemaking Digimon. So I decided to do things my way."

"You didn't die in the explosion, you went back in time!" Phoenix slowly realized.

"You're pretty smart aren't you?" Professor Brech said, "This device will grant me control over all Digimon. I will rule everything." He ran towards a control panel located inside the force field. Taichi and Yamato gave chased. The field faltered temporarily, allowing the professor to pass.

"Damn it!" Taichi cursed. The field immediately returned once Professor Brech was inside. He slammed his fist against the field in anger.

"Nanomon!" the professor called. The tiny Digimon appeared from behind the control panel.

"Is it ready?" he asked Nanomon.

"Yes, Master," Nanomon replied. The professor flipped a switch on the console. The various machinery roared to life around the cave.

"We got to stop him!" Yamato shouted over the noise.

"Anyone got a plan?" Takeru asked.

"Destroy it before it activates!" Taichi exclaimed. He started kicking one of the machines. The Digimon copied him, smashing as many of the machines as possible.

"Don't even bother," Professor Brech said from inside his force field,"Those machines are only there to collect power. My device is already fully charged, so there is no need for those devices anymore."

"Anyone has other suggestions?" Hikari asked. Phoenix scratched his head.

"How about we overload his device?" he suggested, pointing at an open cable, "We can try sticking this at his force field."

"It's worth giving it a shot," Takeru said. He picked up the cable, making sure to avoid touching the live electricity, and stuck it against the force field. The field shimmered and sparkled before shutting down completely. The central device started smoking and spewing electricity.

"What did you do?!" Professor Brech exclaimed as explosions spread over his device. Takeru ran back to the others. They took cover behind MechLupusmon, waiting for the coming explosion.

Phoenix peeked from his cover. He watched as the professor tried desperately to save his machine. Nanomon was nowhere in sight. Professor Brech slammed his fist on the control panel in defeat. Phoenix ducked for cover as a huge explosion consumed the device.

"Is it over?" Taichi asked in between coughs. He dusted himself off and helped Yamato to his feet. Hikari and Takeru did the same. They checked on their Digimon partners as well. Phoenix began removing bits of debris stuck on MechLupusmon until he noticed something. The smoke from the explosion had been slowly spreading around the cave, but was slowly starting to gather back towards the center of the room.

The ground started shaking as the smoke started turning as black as darkness itself. The smoke slowly began taking shape, growing and spreading across the floor.

"I think that answers your question," Yamato said to Taichi.

* * *

A/n: I apologize if the story feels rushed. I'm hoping to finish this before September as I won't be able to write for some time after that.


	18. Journey's End

Chapter 17 - Journey's End

"Koushiro?!" Taichi shouted into his D-terminal. The device only emitted static.

"That 'thing' must be interfering with the signal somehow," Takeru guessed as he held onto HolyAngemon's back. They were riding on their Digimon partners near the cave entrance.

"What is it anyway?" Yamato asked.

"It reminds me of the darkness in this crest," Phoenix said as he poked the glowing tag around his neck, "It may be remnant energy from Professor Brech's device."

"Let's guess its origin later and first focus on stopping this creature before it devours us," Yamato said. The shadow creature started eating the surrounding metal and rock, turning it into data and increasing its size. A face slowly formed at the top of the shadow.

"Now that is just creepy," Hikari commented.

"Isn't that Professor Brech?" Takeru noted.

"It is!" Phoenix confirmed, "How in the world…"

"It's not the most surprising thing we've seen," Yamato said,"What do we do now?"

"Blast it WarGreymon!" Taichi shouted.

"You got it Taichi!" WarGreymon said as he raised his arms above his head.

"Gaia Force!"

The ball of fire flew towards the creature, hitting it straight in the face. The attack blasted a huge hole, sending digital pieces flying.

"Great shot!" Taichi cheered. His excitement was short-lived however, as the creature begin reforming itself.

"That's not good," Yamato muttered.

"Hit it with your strongest attacks!" Taichi ordered. The five Digimon lined up. Each of them sent their most powerful attack towards the shadow creature. The attacks created an even bigger crater on the creature's body.

Just like before, the creature immediately started healing. Black tendrils emerged around the healing wound, rushing out to attack the group. WarGreymon and HolyAngelmon rushed forward, cutting the tendrils down with their claws and sword.

"I think attacking it is just making it worse," Hikari noted as WarGreymon and HolyAngemon rejoined the group.

"Plan B?" Yamato asked. Taichi thought for a moment.

"I've got nothing, "he admitted. Hikari and Phoenix also shook their heads.

"We need to stop or prevent its regenerative abilities," Takeru pondered, "Everytime we blast part of it off, they just merge back with the main body."

"I could probably collect the pieces with my Digivice," Phoenix suggested.

"Good. We can keep our distance and whittle it down bit by bit," Taichi said.

"That's not possible," Phoenix said, "The D-Ultimate has a limited range. I will need to move in close."

"That's too risky," Hikari said as she observed the ever-growing number of tendrils.

"We don't really have a choice," Yamato pointed out, "It's the best plan any of us have come up with so far." Hikari bit her lip, but nodded her head in agreement. Taichi clapped his hands and started giving out orders.

"Okay. Phoenix will go in close with MechLupusmon. WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon will attack it from afar. HolyAngemon and Angewomon, keep the tendrils off us." Everybody nodded as they received their orders.

"Let's do it then!" Taichi shouted.

Phoenix held on tightly to MechLupusmon's back as he flew towards the creature. The metal Digimon slashed his way towards the creature with his claws. In the distance, Phoenix heard WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon launching their attacks from afar.

"Get ready!" he informed MechLupusmon.

"Gaia Force!"

"Coyotes Breath!"

The attacks hit the creature square in the face, again blasting another hole again. Phoenix and MechLupusmon flew towards the impact point. The boy activated his Digivice an extended his arm as his partner flew around the impact point. The Digivice sucked in every digital piece in sight.

"It's working!" Phoenix shouted. The wound remained as the creature could not heal itself. "Hit it again!" Phoenix shouted to the others. WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon launched attack after attack. MechLupusmon and Phoenix flew around the creature, preventing it from regenerating. The creature screamed as it was slowly withered down. WarGreymon and Taichi flew directly above the creature, preparing to deliver the final blow.

"Takeru, HolyAngelmon! Clear a path for us!" he ordered. The angel Digimon flew forward with Takeru riding on his back. Using his sword, HolyAnglemon craved a way through the tendrils. WarGreymon followed closely behind, using his claws to help out.

Hovering in front of the creatures deformed face, WarGreymon launched an attack at point-blank. The fireball blasted the creature into millions of pieces. Instead of dispersing into the air, the pieces begin slowly reforming itself. Phoenix and MechLupusmon quickly flew in, trying to prevent the creature from reforming. Rocks started falling around the duo as they tried to get closer.

"Phoenix!" Hikari shouted in concern as a rock barely missed MechLupusmon. WarGreymon's attacks had weakened the ceiling, causing parts of it to collapse.

MechLupusmon nosedived straight into the creature's regenerative form. Phoenix activated his Digivice as his Digimon partner landed. The D-Ultimate sucked up the creature's remains, leaving no trace behind.

"It's over," Takeru muttered as HolyAngelmon landed. He watched Phoenix slowly climb down from MechLupusmon's back. The boy immediately sat down the moment he reached the ground.

"Poor kid probably dead tired," Taichi commented as he cgot off WarGreymon's back.

"Given what's he's been through, I'd say he deserve a break," Takeru replied. He temporary shielded his eyes as MechLupusmon digivolved back to Lupusmon. Hikari and Angelwomon landed beside Phoenix and Lupusmon.

"He fell asleep," she said as she checked on the boy.

"Let's get him back home. This isn't really the place for a nap," Yamato said," Besides, I'm starving."

* * *

"You fought a giant shadow monster while I was just sitting at Koushiro's place! I missed out on all the fun!" Daisuke complained. They had all gathered at Takeru's place. Taichi, Yamato, Sora, Koushiro and Daisuke sat in the living room. The former two were retelling their adventures earlier today.

"I wouldn't call it fun," Yamato said as he leaned further back into his seat, "it was nerve-wrecking more than anything else."

"Fighting a gigantic devouring monster will bring that felling out of most people," Sora said as she linked hands with the blond.

"It's a good thing you managed to stop that creature anyways," Koushiro said as he continued typing on his laptop.

"Why's that?" Daisuke asked curiously.

"You said that the creature was digitizing the cave right?" Koushiro asked Taichi. He nodded in response.

"It actually was. The cave center where the creature appeared is devoid of any form of data. I've detected data losses in the surrounding area as well," he said.

"Er… In layman terms please?" Taichi said as he scratched his head.

"The cave you were in was slowly being 'destroyed'. And by destroyed I mean becoming a place where nothing can exist," Koushiro explained, "If it was allowed to move about unhindered it would have completely erased the Digital World."

"Where did it come from anyway?" Sora pondered.

"Based on your accounts of the event, I guess it was created during the destruction of the device," Koushiro theorized.

"Phoenix said that the creature was giving out energies similar to that from his tag," Yamato pointed out.

"I couldn't help but notice that it looks eerily similar to our crests," Taichi admitted as he fingered his crest.

"Given how we found Phoenix under the influence of LadyDevimon and that she was working for Professor Brech, we can assume that it was artificially created by the professor," Koushiro said.

"Professor Brech?" Daisuke asked.

"The middle aged man they encountered in the cave," Sora reminded him.

"Ah! Right, I remember now."

"He must have been a very intellectual person though, given that he could invent time travel just through the study of Digimon." Koushiro said as he resumed typing, "Too bad he used his skills for evil." The others nodded in agreement.

"By the way Koushiro, what are you doing?" Taichi curiously asked.

"I'm trying to convince Liz to go out tomorrow," Koushiro replied, "She seems insistent on working on her pet project at my place though."

"We should go out tomorrow as well," Yamato said while nudging Sora, "I could use the break."

"Sure!" she agreed. "There's one thing I'm still unsure about though."

"Why was Professor Brech face on the creature?" she asked.

"He was near the device when it exploded wasn't he?" Daisuke asked Taichi.

"I don't know," Taichi answered, "I was too busy hiding behind cover."

"It probably a mystery that we will never solve," Koushiro said.

"All this talking is making me hungry," Taichi grumbled, "Have they finished making dinner yet?"

"Dinner's ready!" Miyako shouted from the kitchen. She and Mimi emerged from the kitchen, followed closely behind by Ken and Iori. Each of them carried trays filled with food. Everyone gathered around the dining table as Mimi, Miyako and Ken sat their trays down. Iori took his tray into the guest room.

* * *

"I brought dinner for both of you," Iori said as he entered the room. Takeru and Hikari sat beside the bed where Phoenix was dozing silently.

"Thanks Iori," Takeru said, taking the tray.

"Where's my share?" Jou asked as he packed his medical equipment into his bag.

"Mimi has it waiting outside. She refused to let me bring it in."

"Some days I wonder what actually goes through that girl's head," Jou grumbled as he finished packing.

"Is Phoenix going to be alright?" Iori asked.

"He'll be fine after a nap an some food," Jou assured. "Now I'd better get out there before Taichi eats everything." Iori followed him out of the room, leaving Takeru and Hikari alone with Phoenix. They sat in silence, slowly eating their dinner.

"You should really furnish this room," Hikari finally spoke, "it feels too barren."

"I'll tell Mom when she comes home tomorrow night," Takeru said.

"How are you going to tell your mom about Phoenix?" Hikari asked. Takeru let out a sigh.

"I honestly haven't thought about that," Takeru admitted, "I guess I can't just tell Mom he's some kid I meet on the street." The two continued eating in silence.

"You want to go watch a movie tomorrow?" Takeru asked suddenly. Hikari turned to face him.

"Are you asking me out Takashi?" she teased him.

"Sort of…" Takeru said quietly. He focused his gaze on his plate, trying to avoid eye contact. Hikari hid her smile with her hand.

"So what movie will you two watch?"

The voice startled the couple. They relaxed when they realized it was Phoenix.

"Don't mind me. Keep talking," Phoenix said as he sat up. The boy picked up a plate of spaghetti and started stuffing his mouth.

"How are you feeling?" Hikari asked.

"Fine. Except the fact that I'm starving," Phoenix replied. He gobbled his food with lightning speed, much to Takeru and Hikari's surprise.

"Where's Lupusmon?" the boy asked as he swallowed his last bite.

"He's hanging out in the balcony with the other Digimon," Takeru answered. Phoenix started getting out of bed.

"You shouldn't be moving about," Hikari said firmly as she tried to push him down.

"I've completed what I came here to do," Phoenix said as he pushed past Hikari, "If I stay here in this time, I may accidentally change the future more than I should."

"So you are going back to your time?" Takeru asked.

"Yes," The boy shouldered his bag and walked out of the guest room. He turned and headed straight for the balcony. Takeru and Hikari followed him out. The others had puzzled looks as they sat around the dining table.

"I thought I told both of you to keep Phoenix in bed," Jou scolded.

"I know Jou. But he insisted on leaving now," Takeru said.

"Leaving?" Taichi asked.

"He said that he might accidentally rewrite the future if he stayed any longer," Hikari said. They heard footsteps coming from the balcony. Phoenix emerged from the balcony. Lupusmon and the other Digimon followed behind him.

"Are you really going back Phoenix?" Sora asked.

"Yes," the boy replied. He fished out a small spherical device from his backpack. It was his ticket home.

"Wait! So what's going to happen now?" Daisuke asked.

"I return back to my time. With luck, what we have accomplished today has changed the future for the better," Phoenix explained to him, "And life goes on for everyone." The boy picked up Lupusmon with his free arm.

"Farewell DigiDestined." Phoenix activated the sphere. He felt himself slowly getting pulled through time. The others waved goodbye, shouting out their farewells as well. Their voices sounded distance to him as his surroundings become engulfed in white.


	19. Epilogue

Epilogue

"Ow! Damn thorns!"

"Shhhhh! You'll blow our cover!"

"Why are we even doing this in the first place?" Yamato asked. He, Daisuke and Taichi were currently hiding inside a bush in the town park. Ahead of them was a couple sitting close together on a park bench, observing the night sky.

"I wanted to make sure **he** is not doing anything funny!" Taichi hissed

"Seriously Taichi," Dasiuke teased,"How paranoid you can get? We've been followed them for almost the entire day! Aside from reaching for popcorn at the same time, they haven't done anything!"

"They always make their move right at the end! Always!" Taichi shot back.

"I think you have been watching too much T.V" Yamato muttered.

"Shhhhhhh! **He's** doing something!" Taichi whispered. The three guys watched as the couple moved closer towards each other and kissed.

Tachi moved, wanting to leapt out of his hiding spot and confront the guy. He opened his mouth to shout, but only muffled sounds came out.

"Sorry mate, but I'm under orders from my girlfriend to make sure you don't ruin this date," Yamato said, his hand clamped tightly over Taichi's mouth. Daisuke was pinning Taichi down.

"Me too," he said,"Mimi actually paid me twenty bucks just to make sure you don't do anything funny."

Taichi struggled as hard as he could, but his efforts went unnoticed that night.

* * *

Gennai had described how time travel would theoretically feel to Phoenix once. He said traveling to your destination was like riding a mild rollercoaster. The return trip would be like riding the world's biggest slingshot. As Phoenix landed face first into grass, he realized Gennai was only partially correct. Returning back to your original time was more akin to getting struck by a bus on the highway.

Thankfully, the meadow grass was soft. Phoenix got away with an even sorer body. Lupusmon fared slightly better, suffering only grass getting stuck in his fur. The pair got to their feet.

Phoenix checked his belongings. His backpack was intact, although some of his clothes had spilled out. His tag was still safely hanging around his neck. The D-Ultimate was as usual securely attached to his wrist.

"Have we returned to our own time?" Lupusmon asked shaking grass out of his fur.

"I can't tell," Phoenix replied. As he started to ponder their next move, he heard a voice call out his name. Phoenix turned around, only to be tackled to the ground.

"Gah!" Phoenix shouted as he hit the ground. Blond filled his vision as the 'assailant' hugged him tighter.

"Rachel? Let go! You're crushing me!" the boy pleaded.

"Sorry," Rachel apologized as she let him go, "It's just that I've missed you. You've been gone for two weeks." Phoenix smiled.

"Well I'm back now," he said, lightly punching the girl's shoulder.

"That you are my boy," Gennai said as he walked towards them. He slapped Phoenix hard on the back.

"You actually did it!" the old mentor said.

"What did I change?" Phoenix asked.

"There will be time to explain later," Gennai said, "Rachel isn't the only one waiting to see you." He stepped aside and pointed, bringing Phoenix view towards two people standing a distance away. The boy stared for a moment before rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

"Is that…?" Phoenix started asking, but Gennai cut him short with a simple nod. The boy slowly walked forward.

"Mom, Dad…"

* * *

Phoenix sat back enjoying the early morning traffic as he took a sip from his drink. It's been two weeks since his return from the past. Over the past couple of weeks, Phoenix had spent time with his parents. Today however, the boy had agreed to meet with Rachel instead.

The boy leaned back into his seat. Lupusmon had opted to sleep the day away at home. He checked the time on his digivice. Rachel was supposed to meet him here ten minutes ago.

"I see you are enjoying yourself," a voice said. Phoenix looked up and was surprised to see Gennai standing beside him.

"Gennai! What are you doing here?" Phoenix asked. Gennai chuckled as he sat opposite of the boy.

"I wanted to speak to you," he explained,"Seeing as how you have a full day ahead of you, I'll cut to the chase."

"'I've been in talks with the world's leaders," Gennai started, "The war is officially over, although there are still stragglers out there. However given that the war was started, at least from your accounts, by a rouge mad scientist, the politicians are naturally worried."

"Speaking of Professor Brech, did you base your time machine of his own?" Phoenix asked. It was a question that had bugged him ever since his return.

"I had to improvise and improve some of his work, but yes." Gennai answered, "In fact your digivice was partly based of tech the professor provided the government for containment of Digimon."

"So what's the next step?" the boy asked, coming back to the initial topic.

"The world leaders have agreed on creating an organization dedicated to dealing with threats related to Digimon," Gennai said, "They are hoping to prevent any large scale conflict in the future."

"That sounds great and all, but how does this concern me?"

"Let me be honest Phoenix. My plan to send you back in time wasn't popular with many people. Leaving the fate of the world to a kid and all that. But since you managed to actually get the job done, they now want you."

"You mean they want to make sure I don't go rampaging across the world on a giant metal wolf. Besides, they have soldiers. Why would they need me?"

"That may be their main reason, but this organization that they are planning would benefit with your help. We have skilled people, but none of them have the bond that you and Lupusmon share. Not to mention the little souvenir you brought back." Gennai pointed to the tag hanging around Phoenix's neck. The boy fingered the object, deep in thought.

"You don't have to reply to me now. I'll give you time to think it through," Gennai said, "Enjoy your day." He got up and left the cafe.

Phoenix stared at the window, his mind contemplating on his conversation with Gennai. The sight of a blond girl dashing towards the cafe broke his train of thoughts.

He would decide later, now he should enjoy the rest of his day.

* * *

A/N: Yay! I've finally completed my first work. Thanks a lot for reading/reviewing this story. I will write a sequel, though I'm not sure how long I will take to finish it as I will be busy from September.


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